Showing posts with label getting to know you. Show all posts
Showing posts with label getting to know you. Show all posts

Thursday, February 16, 2023

My Romance Reading Journey {Book Tag}


Tuesday I was watching videos on youtube, as you do, and I came across this brand new book tag! It was created by Beccie at BecxReadz, and together with 9 other booktubers a list of questions surrounding our romance reading journeys was formed.

I decided why not participate! Was I tagged? Of course not, I'm a tiny little book blogger that's not on anyone's radar. That isn't stopping me though. So if you're on the fence about participating, don't be. Jump on in.

I'd love to know how you would answer these 10 questions!

Happy Reading,
Laura



*QUESTIONS*

1. About how old were you when you started reading romance and do you remember the first romance you read?

Asked by Beccie 

I don't remember how old I was when I started reading romance. I do recall reading my mom's copy of Romancing the Stone, but I don't know if that is even considered romance. I also have memories of reading a couple of her Danielle Steel books when I was a young teenager, but I could not tell you the titles. The first romance I remember reading was Montana Sky by Nora Roberts. I'm pretty sure I read it as an ARC because I worked at a bookstore at that time. (anyone remember Media Play?) I loved the story, and I became a major fan of Nora's books.



2. Did you deliberately seek out romance or did you stumble upon it? And how?

Asked by Crystal 

I stumbled into it quite honestly. Or at least it feels that way. Again it was so long ago, that it's hard to completely remember. I remember reading a lot of Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks, and being drawn to the relationships within those stories.

3. Did you start with traditionally published or indie and has it switched?

Asked by Kelsi 

Traditionally published. I'm old enough to remember the days before the internet, so indie published books weren't a big thing then. I will say that my preferences have changed, and I predominantly read indie published now. It's very rare for me to pick up a traditionally published book.

4.What was a romance trope you were afraid to try but ended up loving?

via Jess 

Dark romance! Before reading my first I couldn't imagine even picking up a book like "that". However after reading a few that scary factor disappeared, and I became more comfortable with the trope. Now I will say reading dark romance has tested my tolerance a bit. I'm figuring out what I'm acceptable with versus what is way too much, or too dark. I will say that Eden by Xavier Neal was too dark for me. So there's that.

5. Is there a romance book you read early on in your journey that you would rate differently today?

via Caitlin 

Possibly. Until the last couple of years I was not one to rate books or review them. I would just consume, either like the book or not, and move on. Now though it's completely different. Now it's very rare for me to not review a book or rate it. So I can't really pick a book that I would rate differently. If I had to choose, it would probably be a Nicholas Sparks book. (I will say that Two by Two I should have DNF'd versus giving a 2 star to, so that could be my answer I guess.)

6. How has your taste in romance evolved over the years?

from Bree 

I'm a lot more open to reading new authors, new scenarios, different steam levels, and all of that. I used to be a very fade to black reader, and there was even a time where I read nothing but Christian fiction. Now I'll just about read it all if the blurb appeals to me. I also gravitate to indie authors over traditionally published. (that might also have something to do with affordability, but I also just enjoy the stories much more than trad pub.)

7. What is the most powerful romance that you have read that left a lasting impact?

from Kaylani 

The Grip Trilogy by Kennedy Ryan.
Quite honestly it opened my eyes, and helped me to better understand the things that black people have to deal with on a regular basis. Not only that but it showed my biases that I didn't realize I had. Reading this trilogy changed me, how I think, how I respond, and how I act. If anything it helped me to become a bit more open minded. Aside from the personal changes, this story just touched my heart. It showed everything that this couple dealt with over many years, and Still had me bawling. Oh that book! I will recommend that trilogy every chance I get.

8. What was the romance book that told you this is what I am looking for in my personal life and/or partner?

via Jackie 

I was already married when my deep dive into romance really began, so I can't say I was looking for anything. Maybe if I were a single woman I would be able to say otherwise. For me though reading romance is just an escape, these books are my television shows. I invest myself into the worlds, into the characters, and their stories. So there's no looking for traits, or anything like that for my partner.

9. Which romance book(s) would you recommend to a romance newbie and a seasoned romance reader?

asked by Ava 

For a newbie I would honestly suggest some Nora Roberts books such as the Inn Boonsboro series, the Bride quartet, the Cousins O'Dwyer trilogy, and the Guardians Trilogy. For indie published I would suggest Aven Ellis's Modern Royals and British Isle Billionaries series. I would also say the Southern series by Natasha Madison. All of those books are such easy reads where you escape into the worlds and don't necessarily want to leave. I adored them all.

For a seasoned romance reader that's more difficult as it depends on the trope preferences, the steam preferences, and any triggers.  If you're looking to try out a newer author then I would suggest Kristin Turnage. Her books are small town romance, new adult, they are emotional, and they are some of my absolute favorites. Then there is also Samantha Lovelock and her Folkestone Sins series which I'm obsessed with. It's new adult, the main characters are rich kids, and the suspenseful element is what drew me in. I cannot wait for the 5th, and final, book to be released so I know how all of this ends. I say that because it is an ongoing story. This town has secrets, the families have secrets, and there is a lot going on. If you haven't read any Kennedy Ryan, then you need to. Kennedy's books are so well written, and researched. They hit hard and often have emotional scenes as well. Grip is fabulous and unforgettable, but so is the All the Kings Men duet. That duet was actually my introduction to Kennedy, and so they have a soft spot in my heart. There is one scene in the second book (the end of chapter 24) that I'm still not over. I audibly gasped in that moment.

10. In your eyes, what are 3 "perfect" romances?

from Sam

Since this is "in my opinion" and we all have varying opinions...My list looks like this with no explanation.


Please note:

I participate in the Amazon Affiliates program.

Purchases made through links above allow me to earn a small commission.

Thank you!

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Let's Talk Romance {a Romance Book Tag}



The other day I was watching a tag video that Heather from Bookables had posted. It's all about the romance genre, and since it's my favorite type of book to read I figured why not join in. 

First romance you remember reading

Montana Sky by Nora Roberts

Last romance you read

Balls to the Wall by April Canavan

Romance you are most like to recommend to a newbie

Modern Royals series by Aven Ellis

Romance you are most likely to recommend to another romance reader

All the Kings Men duet by Kennedy Ryan

An underrated romance you wish more people would read

Bloodmark Saga by Aurora Whittet

I binged this series, and absolutely loved it.

An overrated romance you wish people would stop talking about

Oh, well, let's do this then.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

No I haven't read it, but I have heard it's not really a romance, so yeah.

An auto-buy author

Because I cannot just pick one:
Aven Ellis
Natasha Madison
Helena Hunting
Kennedy Ryan

An author you use to love that you've since abandoned

Nicholas Sparks
I used to read EVERY book he would release. There are still some that I love to this day, but I won't pick up any more of his books. Heck the last book I read of his (Two by Two) was so bad I almost DNF'd it.

Favorite trope

Friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and second chance.

Best book with your favorite trope

Well now that's a bit subjective. Let's go with my most recent read which was Balls to the Wall by April Canavan. Parker and Remy used to be friends, after some words spoken by Remy they are now enemies, and it could very well be a second chance for them. So there you go.

A book you didn't like even though it has your favorite trope

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

It is enemies to lovers, and I DNF'd it.

Most hated trope

Maybe forced proximity

A book you liked even though it has the trope you hate

About a Boy by Stephanie Kay

Your problematic favorite

I honestly have no clue. And yes, I had to look up what this meant as I've never heard the term before.

A book everyone else loved that has you scratching your head

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade

Now to be fair, it wasn't horrible, but it also wasn't this awesome book that so many people are making it out to be. 

Your favorite romancelandia person to follow on twitter

I don't really do twitter, so I'll skip this question.

A place or person you go for recommendations or reviews

Steph's Romance Book Talk, Bookables, Chelsea Palmer, In Love & Words, and Peace Love Books all on Youtube.

A book that has a character that reminds you of yourself

On Thin Ice by Aven Ellis

Holly Johannsen is me in fictional form. A bit of social anxiety, loves planners and books, and is from Minnesota. 

Romance cover you love

Is this where I admit I don't like the majority of romance book covers? That being said, many of Nora Roberts covers tend to draw me in. Especially the Cousin O'Dwyer trilogy and The Guardians trilogy covers..\


A book you've reread more than twice

I don't typically re-read unless it is pictures books with my kids.

Best romance audiobook

I don't listen to audio books.

Best romance or rom-com movie

You've Got Mail

Favorite heroine

I'm torn between Tenley from Clipped Wings and Lennix from All the King's Men duet.

Favorite hero

I don't have one.

Your all time favorite romance

HAHAHAAHA
That's cute.
You expect me to choose one.

    • All the King's Men duet by Kennedy Ryan
    • Modern Royals by Aven Ellis
    • Bloodmark Saga by Aurora Whittet
    • The Edge of Happiness by Kristen Turnage
    • Sign of Seven trilogy by Nora Roberts
    • The Guardian trilogy by Nora Roberts
    • Folkestone Sins by Samantha Lovelock 

That was a lot more difficult than I was expecting! It was still enjoyable to complete though. 

Have you read any of the books I mentioned? Who are your auto-buy authors?

Happy Reading,



Thursday, February 4, 2021

The Bookish A to Z book tag


It's been a while since my last book tag. I found the Bookish A to Z book tag through the FNM Book Blog (courtesy of Google), and it sounded interesting. After looking at the questions on Ann Marie Swaim's blog, I decided I would participate. No I wasn't tagged, but that doesn't stop me.  Plus these book tags allow you all to get to know me a bit better. 

Author you've read the most books from:

This is a tough one. Id say it is a toss up between Aven Ellis, Natasha Madison, and Nora Roberts.

Best sequel

I went back and forth on this one. Ultimately A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas won out.


Honorable mentions to: Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend and Archenemies by Marissa Meyer

Currently Reading

The Wedding Game by Meghan Quinn. It was my Amazon First Reads selection for February.


Drink of choice while reading

Diet Coke

E-reader or Physical Book

Prior to Christmas 2019, I would have said physical. Now though my answer is 100% e-reader. I love my paperwhite.

Fictional character you probably would have dated in high school

Oh gosh I have no clue. (and do you know how long ago high school was for me? egads!)

Glad you gave this book a chance

Fragile Things by Samantha Lovelock

Hidden Gem

On The Edge by Dani Collins

Important moment in your reading life

I really think it goes back to my introduction to books. It was all because of my paternal Grandpa, and those amazing pop-up books he gifted me.

Just finished


I received an ARC of Only One Touch by Natasha Madison, and it was amazing. (review coming soon)

Kind of books I wont read

Horror or anything that is extremely gory.

Longest book you've read

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

Major book hangover because of

The Edge of Happiness by Kristin Turnage


Number of book cases you own

2 for me, and 3 half sized for my kids.

One book you've read multiple times

Everyones a aliebn when ur a aliebn too by Jomny Sun

It's amazing, and everyone should read it.

Preferred place to read

My couch in our downstairs living room

Quote that inspires you, or gives you all the feels, from a book you've read


Reading regret

I don't have any. 

I mean are there books I wish I wouldn't have given my time to? Yes, I'm looking specifically at you Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks.

Series you started and need to finish

I'll just mention one since most of the series I'm currently reading are works in progress. So with that, I'll say the Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend. I still need to read Hollowpox. (and I really want to buy the series vs borrowing it from my library.)

Three of your all time favorite books

Excuse me? Choose favorites? How very dare you! Okay fine, I'll toss out a few titles.


Unapologetic fangirl for

Hockey romance novels. Especially those by Natasha Madison and Samantha Whiskey.

Very excited for this release (more than all the others)

At this very moment, I would say Restless Things by Samantha Lovelock. I need to know what happens after that bombshell at the end of Fractured Things.

Worst bookish habit

Reading too fast, and not cherishing the book. Maybe? 

X marks the spot: start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book

Vision in White by Nora Roberts. It's the first book in the Bride Quartet series.


Your latest book purchase

Oh just call me out why don't you. You know I've been buying books when I don't need to be.

I pre-ordered Only One Regret by Natasha Madison. It is the fifth book in the Only One series. Now I just need to wait until October. (unless I can get my hands on an ARC in September. Wishful thinking.) I'm so giddy that Natasha Madison decided to expand the series from 4 books to 8. 

ZZZ-snatcher book (aka the last book that kept you up way too late)

Geez, what did I do to you? I can't help it if I read late at night, and then get so absorbed into the book that I say up until 1 or 2 in the morning. 



There you have it, my bookish a to z.  Have you read any of the books I mentioned? How about the authors? Are you familiar with them? 

Happy Reading,


Thursday, December 24, 2020

Year in Review


As 2020 winds down, I thought it would only be fitting to take a look back at my year in books. Oh what a year it has been. The Kindle Paperwhite that my husband gifted me last Christmas has been well used. I don't think a day goes by that I don't use it. Which is also why it has to be charged every 5 days or so.

For my stats, I have been utilizing Goodreads for the entire year, so that keeps track of my quantity of books, my average rating, and also lets me know how many pages I have read this year. One of the questions below is most read genre. I think it's safe to say there is one genre that has dominated the year, but we'll get to that in a bit.

Let's get started shall we?



The first book that I read in 2020 was Green Tea Latte to Go by Aven Ellis. It is such a cute rom-com, and of course it has an HEA. Picture it a blogger and a veterinarian for exotic animals. Although the pig may steal the show. 😉



My current read is Changing Lanes by Katie Graykowski. It is a second chance romance, and the romance is between a football player and a pediatric oncologist. Let's just say that this book could also fall into the "made me cry" category. Oh the tears.


At the time I am writing this, I have read 300 books. I still have a few more days before the year ends, so I see that number increasing just a little bit. My original Goodreads goal was 100. I will say that reading is pretty much my only hobby, so that helps my number to climb the way it has. 




As of today my page count is 77,655. That makes my average book length about 259 pages. Again, this will increase though, as I still have about a week. I plan on doing an official Goodreads wrap-up at the beginning of the year.


There were so many wonderful books this year that I cannot select just one! My top 5, in no particular order, were:


In no particular order:
  • Aven Ellis
  • Natasha Madison
  • Kennedy Ryan
  • Helena Hunting
  • Piper Rayne
  • Susan Stoker


Do we even need to discuss this one? 🤣  It's romance.
Should we talk sub-genre? If so it's probably sports romance (hockey is the winner), with military being a close second.


My least read genre is definitely non-fiction. Without looking at Goodreads, I believe I've read 2 non-fiction books this year. One being The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur, and the second being What Unites Us by Dan Rather.


There were so many books that made me cry. To be fair though, I am a pretty emotional person. So what makes me cry, might not make another.

Let's name some names, shall we.


Again, there were so many! I love a good rom-com, and many of them made me laugh. Some made me literally laugh out loud. Here are 5 that had me laughing.


If you know me, you know that I LOVE a good book series. It's actually what I gravitate towards. Don't get me wrong, a single book can be good, but if I can stay with my people for a while, I will. Even if those initial characters are now secondary.

Top 5:


My main goal is to read 150 books. I know that I read 300 this year, but let's be honest, that isn't a pace I can necessarily keep up. So I figure if I bump up my goal from 100 to 150, that should be attainable.

I would also like to complete the yearly reading challenge that Paige from Creating & Co hosts. It is 24 prompts, and it might require me to read a little outside my usual. That is completely fine though. I tried the PopSugar Reading Challenge this year, and did okay. The prompts for next year though I cannot make work for me, and I know if I push myself too much it will lead to a reading slump. So I'm skipping PopSugar for 2021.

My last goal is in regards to this space here, as well as my socials. It is my goal to post three times per week here on What Laura's Reading. My Facebook goal is once a day, whether that is sharing a meme or posting a blog post, or a crossover from Instagram. My Instagram goal is 3 photos a week at a minimum. If that all becomes too much though, I will drop Instagram.

Tell me about how your reading went this year! Also, what are your reading goals for 2021?

Happy Reading,







*Amazon links are affiliate links and I may earn a commission on products sold.

Friday, September 11, 2020

Remembering



Where were you? It is the question that is asked every year on this date. And for good reason. We shouldn't forget the horrific events that occurred 19 years ago. Not just the event of course, but the people who lost their lives, the people who showed up to do whatever they could to help, and how our country ultimately came together in mourning, and in healing.

To answer the question, 19 years ago I was at work. I had graduated from college in May, and this was my first full time job! I was working with my (step) family at the invitation/stationary division. At the time of the first attack I was more than likely in the process of packaging up an order for one of our customers. We always had music going in the warehouse, and I remember someone turning the music off, and sharing the news about what was going on in New York. I remember someone turning the radio on so we could listen, and I also remember being in shock about what was being discussed. Meanwhile, my Stepdad drove home to get a TV so we could all watch what was happening. That day many of us were numb, nervous, and just on edge. 

Around lunch time I remember there was talk of something potentially happening in downtown. My immediate worry was for my Mom who worked in the heart of downtown. Thankfully that talk was nothing more than rumors. Like I said, everyone was on edge. That night, and for many nights to come, I was glued to the news.

In the days and weeks to come, our company created notepads that we sold. If I recall correctly, a portion of the sales went to various charities. I remember those products flying off our shelves, and on to the shelves of our retailers. 

It was a somber time for our country. Together we worked on healing. From the reading of the names, to tv commercials, to songs inspired by the events; all of this bonded us. We weren't a country divided, we were together, and we were becoming stronger.

If you know the creator of this graphic, please let me know.
I found it via Piper Rayne's facebook page.




Today my heart is with the families who lost loved ones on this date. May they feel the love that many are directing their way.




Wednesday, September 9, 2020

The Rapid Fire Book Tag

Today is a busy day in my home. My kids return to school next week, and well that means a lot of stuff needs to get accomplished today. Between meeting the teachers, picking up chrome books, and having a quick IEP meeting, it's going to be a day. Thankfully my husband is still home (thanks pandemic), so he can keep the preschooler with him while I manage school stuff with our two elementary kids. Then he is also going to handle the pick up of materials for our middle schooler. Four kids + 3 schools = busy.


So I figured that on this busy (slightly chaotic) day a book tag would be perfect. Plus it allows you all to know me a bit better. Thanks to a Pinterest search, I discovered the Rapid Fire book tag. Over on the blog This Splendid Shambles, I learned the GirlReading was the originator of this tag. 

If you're curious about my answers, then keep on reading.

Book Tag


Monday, September 7, 2020

Reading Memories: The Beginning

Back in 1982, my paternal Grandpa gifted me a collection of pop-up books. I was all of 4 years old, and I loved flipping through the pages, and getting my hands on the pop-ups. 

I know, I'm old, and so are the books I'm talking about. 🤣 

Now, I honestly do not remember all the titles, or what the covers looked like, but I do remember they were fairy tales, the spine of the book was along the long edge, and the book opened upward rather than to the side. 


Oh how I wish I still owned them. After all those books are my first book related memory. Plus it brings back the few memories I have of my Grandpa.

Monday, August 24, 2020

TBR Book Tag

I don't know about you, but I love a good book tag. These tags give a good opportunity to share more about yourself. 

 
Recently I watched Heather from Bookables complete this TBR tag, and well I wanted to participate. So here we go.