Whimsical Wrap-Ups #2: September 2020

Published on by Solace in Reading
Some of my August/September Book Mail.

September was wayyyyy better than August and July mentally for me. I finally like my blog and bookstagram again, I feel less pressure to post, and school is going really well (considering the fact that I am a junior).

I turned 17 on September 25. It went super well and I will have a birthday post up later (maybe Sunday or next weekend; I don’t have much time in the week for blogging). I am super grateful that I received some money from my family and family friends, so I did a book haul at one of my local bookstores: Grown, Maya and the Rising Dark, A River of Royal Blood, and Legendborn! I am sure that I will love all of these (CR: Legendborn. OMG, everyone!!).

Top Books:

  1. The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi: I read this all the way back in July in one day, and now I am re-reading slowly. OH MY GOSH, everyone!!! This is my #1 sequel of 2020. Chokshi is so skilled at writing, and here is my review: https://solaceinreading.home.blog/2020/09/22/review-the-silvered-serpents-by-roshani-chokshi/
  2. LEGENDBORN by Tracy Deonn: I started this on September 29 and am only a little over 100 pages in. Legendborn is my #1 book of 2020 and I love Bree and relate to her so much because of an event that happened to me earlier this year. I hope to meet Deonn someday because she’s so kind and this book is amazing.
  3. Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant: My first 2021 ARC, and it’s one of my favorite books of 2021 already. I don’t want to say too much, but just know that this is a book I would love to see adapted. (Also, Filipino rep!!! The MC’s best friend is Filipino.) Super grateful to Bryant and Harper Teen for providing me with a digital ARC that did not influence my opinion at all in the slightest.
  4. Iron Heart by Nina Varela: OMG. Another amazing sequel!!! Crier and Ayla and Benji are some of my favorite characters and this finale is perfect. Here is my post for Caffeine Book Tours: https://solaceinreading.home.blog/2020/09/06/iron-heart-by-nina-varela-caffeine-book-tours/
  5. Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan: This was a just for fun read that I actually liked. I related to Lucie and thought the romance was very sweet. Would 100% watch a movie adaptation of this. It’s fun to read about fancy places. (I still believe billionares should not exist, though.)
  6. Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado: Another 2021 ARC I am so lucky to have! It was in the free downloads section of Edelweiss and is pretty good. Again, not saying much, but I know that if you’re trying to get into YA/have a younger sibling who you want to read more, have them read this when it comes out in February.
  7. Skyhunter by Marie Lu: I am not done with this book yet, but know that Marie Lu constantly surpasses herself in how amazing her books are. Lu is one of the most versatile and creative authors I’ve read, and I 100% recommend this book. Thanks to Fierce Reads and Netgalley for the ARC which did not influence my opinion of this at all in the slightest.

I hit my Goodreads goal, which is awesome! I’ve never hit it this early (it’s probably because I set my goal at 100 books and not 300). Now I can read newer books a lot slower. Additionally, I am sort of on Twitter. I have a fanpage for TVD not connected to this blog or bookstagram, but if you want it, I’ll share my username on Instagram if you DM me.

September Evaluation

This September was really good. It was a lot better than August because I threw out my blog and bookstagram schedules and started to focus on when my creativity flows naturally. Also, I need to commit more time to school now.

I am in AP Psych, AP Lit, AP Research, Strength and Conditioning, a TA for a junior English class, and Math 118 (my dual enrollment class). I like all of them. However, online school is pretty tough on my eyes, but I am trying to get off my phone when I don’t need to be on it (which is challenging but I am working on it, so that’s good).

I just realized that I read 20 books last month, which is a lot more than I thought!! Some of those were DNFs that I might return to, but I’d been reading some since July, so I gave up on them since I was wasting my time.

Did I meet my September goals?

  1. I finished 14/23 books that were on my TBR, which is so great!! A lot more than I expected.
  2. I didn’t post 2-3 times per week on my blog but I did post 13 times, which is awesome and again, a lot more than I expected. I also posted 21? times on bookstagram, which again, was so unexpected, but being at home has given me A LOT of time.
  3. I did relax more!! I feel less guilty about taking time for me and have completed all of my homework on time. I currently have a B+ in Math 118, but it’s ok because final grades don’t come out until December, so I have a lot of time. Last year, I was a mess because it was my first year of AP and I had three AP classes, and now I have 3 APs and a DE class, and it’s going well. I wish I could tell my past self to just breathe and find good coping mechanisms.

OCTOBER GOALS

  1. Finish Skyhunter. Start Rebel Rose, Like Home, and Clues to the Universe. I’ve received quite a few ARCs from August to now, which is pretty cool.
  2. Tour for Spell Starter!! (Highly recommend Caffeine Tours.)
  3. Get creative with my bookstagram photos for ~Spooky Season~.

How was your September? Any goals or fun things happening soon?

6 thoughts on “Whimsical Wrap-Ups #2: September 2020”

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