Update: Life and Books (3/11/18)

 
 

I still haven’t been feeling great. I still have eye strain. I still don’t know what, if anything in particular, is causing the recent issues. I’m stressed about a lot of health-related stuff right now. I don’t want to get into that. Sorry if I’m a little behind on responding to comments and visiting your blogs.

In better news, I went through all the shoes in my old closet—all the boxes way at the top that I thought were heels, which I haven’t had a reason to wear for years—and it turns out I have two pairs of boots I didn’t even know I owned! One of them is a second pair of black boots, the other is dark brown! My life isn’t very exciting, so this is exciting for me.

That’s pretty much it for my week.


Blog/Bookish Updates:

I won an ebook! Beauty and the Vampire by Zoey Hunter.

Beauty and the Vampire by Zoey Hunter
 
 

Books I Received for Review:

A Wish Upon the Stars by TJ Klune
The Raging Ones by Kristina & Becca Ritchie
Hell Divers III: Deliverance by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
School for Psychics by K.C. Archer
 

3/4/18: A Wish Upon the Stars is from Dreamspinner. The Raging Ones and Hell Divers III are from NetGalley.

3/11/18: School for Psychics is from NetGalley.

 

Books I Finished:

Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
The Fangs of Freelance by Drew Hayes
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
A Wish Upon the Stars by TJ Klune
Sip by Brian Allen Carr
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling
 

3/4/18: Sleight didn’t have as much circus as I’d hoped it would, but it was still enjoyable. The Fangs of Freelance was the last book in the Fred series that’s currently out. I found it a bit on the slow side, but still good. And I continued my HP reread with Goblet of Fire.

3/11/18: A Wish Upon the Stars was another slow but mostly enjoyable one. As for Sip, I would’ve liked it more had I not listened to the audio, but I still wouldn’t have really liked it anyway. I also finished my HP reread. I’m going to have some discussion posts about the series soon! I… had some issues with Cursed Child. I think I will do a mini review or something for that one.

 

What I’m Loving:

This week, what I’m loving is…

Tusks: The Orc Dating Sim by Mitch Alexander

Tusks - Image of all the Orcs

I wasn’t even sure what a dating sim was, but you all know how I cannot resist uncommon fantasy creatures, so I decided to go for it and spend a couple bucks on this. It’s been fun so far! It’s kind of like a choose-your-own-adventure novel, but more technologically advanced. It’s also got great diversity and representation since one character is missing an arm, one is possibly missing an eye (though it might just be injured, I don’t know for sure), one is trans, and they’re all queer in some way since it’s a M/M dating sim. It’s fun if you’re looking for something a bit different. I actually totally failed the first time and didn’t end up dating anyone lol (I haven’t gotten around to trying again), but I still really liked all the thought that went into the orc lore and culture and whatnot.

 

In Case You Missed It:

3/4/18:
– I reviewed Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, the first in a YA dystopian series.
– I talked about why readers like characters who have done awful things, plus a bit of extra discussion about The Vampire Chronicles.
– I reviewed Shield of the Dragon by Megan Derr, a M/M urban fantasy with an interesting take on dragons.

3/11/18:
– I did the Bookish M.A.S.H. Tag and ended up with a really weird book outcome.
– I reviewed Steal the Moon by Lexi Blake, an urban fantasy with hilarity, heists, and lovable characters.
– I talked about the struggles I’m having with audiobooks.
– I reviewed The King of Forever by Kirby Crow, a M/M high fantasy.

 

The Sunday Post Link-Up:

Once again, I’m linking up to The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer 🙂

 
 
 
 

Talk to me!

Have you found any good books lately?
Have you found any good *boots* lately?
Have you ever played a dating sim?

 
 
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Your Thoughts

 

52 thoughts on “Update: Life and Books (3/11/18)

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  1. Greg

    Looking forward to HP discussion posts even though I’ve only read the first book! Hey I don’t have to be aware of the material to comment, that never stopped me before lol. Seriously though discussion posts are just all kinds of awesome, and HP – related seem like they’d be fun. I’m surprised we don’t see more of those actually!

    Beauty and the Vampire- that cover!

    An orc dating sim? Called Tusks. Love it. I wonder if there are any others out there like it, since I’m not really into orcs, but… this is such a cool idea. 🙂 How fun…

    1. Kristen Burns

      Lol if you don’t mind spoilers, which you never do, then yeah, there’s prob still something to comment on! You’re right, you’d think there’d be more posts about HP.

      I know, I love the cover too!

      It is a cool idea! Especially since you know I love the uncommon creatures.

      1. Greg

        Someone could maybe make a killing on doing paranormal dating sites or sims- you know, just for fun. Ooh I have a tagline- how about “We put the fantasy in urban fantasy”. Ouch? Anyway, bye- I have to get busy *brainstorming*

        Joke. 🙂

        But yeah where are all the HP disc posts? That is weird…

        1. Kristen Burns

          You should get right on that. How’s the brainstorming coming along? 😉

          I think HP is just discussed all the time everywhere all over social media and everything, so I guess that’s why there aren’t many posts about it. Maybe mine will just a flop, who knows lol.

  2. Roberta R.

    You’ve been pretty active, book and blog-wise…far more than me. Yay for not giving up to eyestrain and health issues! I hope you manage to find a way to feel better soon. And being excited about boots is totally fair. You work with what you’ve got. Boy, do I know about that. (Also, now that I think of it, booTs and booKs…LOL).

    1. Kristen Burns

      That’s cuz I have tons of posts already created, I just have to schedule them. Falling behind on comments though :-/ But grrr, I LIKE blogging, so I don’t want to take a break! Thanks 🙂 I know, books, boots, it’s perfect lol.

  3. Sam@WLABB

    Sorry to hear you are not feeling well. I hope you are feeling better soon. Don’t you love when you find surprises when you are doing a little cleaning?

  4. Angela

    I’m sorry you haven’t been feeling well lately, and I hope you get some relief soon!

    Looking forward to your Harry Potter discussion!

  5. Lola

    Sorry to hear you’re still having the eye strain and are stressing about some other health related stuff as well :(. That sucks. I hope you feel better soon!

    That’s always nice to discover you have something you forgot you had and that you can actually use.

    That’s great you won a giveaway! That’s neat you finished your Harry Potter re-read. I haven’t read Cursed Child myself, I did read a review with some slight spoilers on purpose and I don’t think I would enjoy it very much.

    I’ve played a few dating sims, they can be fun. Although it can be tricky to make the right choices at times. That sounds fun this one has orcs, diversity and queer characters. I hope you’ll have a great week!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks <3

      It is nice!

      It wasn't even the spoilery stuff that bothered me, tbh. It was more just how it was written, how the characters didn't seem quite believable.

      Yeah, the dating sim was fun, but apparently I made all the wrong choices lol. But I still had fun learning about the orcs!

  6. Let's Get Beyond Tolerance

    Yay for finding shoes you didn’t know you owned! That’s awesome. I need to spend more time reading Chamber of Secrets, illustrated edition. I get so side tracked by review books, etc. haha

    I’m sorry you’re having some health issues. Thinking of you!

  7. Daniela Ark

    Sorry to hear you are still not feeling great. It has been a while now 🙁 stress definitely doesn’t help so I hope you can break the cycle somehow and get a break soon. Loving that we have not one but TWO ARCs in common right now! This will do wonders for our relationship dear! 🙂

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks <3 I'm still trying to figure out if something is causing it, like a food or something. I know, I love that we have two ARCs in common too! RELATIONSHIP BONDING!

  8. S. J. Pajonas

    Oh look! You did a HP re-read! I want to do that. In fact, I’ve scheduled it for 2020. Lol.. But seriously, I love those books so much, they totally deserve re-reads. I’m looking forward to your discussion posts!

  9. Tori @ InToriLex

    I’m tempted to check out School of Psychic’s but a lot of books of psychics I’ve read have been disappointing in the past. It’s always exciting to find something you didn’t know you have. It’s like shopping for free lol

    1. Kristen Burns

      I’m not usually big on psychics either? But it sounds like the school has got people with other mind abilities too, and I just came off a HP reread binge, and this seemed kind of similar, so I just kinda snatched it up lol. It *is* exciting finding stuff!

  10. Lorna

    This is where I admit to never reading Harry Potter. Or watching the movies. Just not something that ever interested me. That dating Sim thing sounds like fun. Maybe it didn’t match you because you are female? j/k I have no idea! Hope the rest of your week is good!

  11. Samantha

    Sorry you are having health issues. Not knowing whats going on with your body is overwhelmingly frustrating. I have heard other people express some discontent with Cursed Child! Curious to get your thoughts!
    Hope you have a good week!

  12. Barb (boxermommyreads)

    I hope the eye strain resolves itself soon. I’ve been trying to wear my glasses more and it seems to have helped some eye problems I thought were developing. I have a horrible record about putting them on at work. I am in love with the cover of Sleight and wow, seems like you got a lot read despite the problems. Finding boots is always good. I pretty much wear boots all winter and not much else!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks 🙂 Sleight does have a great cover! Yeah, got a lot of reading done since I needed something to do that didn’t involve using the computer lol. Boots are awesome!

  13. Wren

    Have I found any good books lately? Well actually, in one of my classes we had to choose from a selection of books to read for an essay, and the one I chose is actually surprisingly good. It’s written by a linguist and it discusses forensic linguistic cases that stick out to him. It’s kinda making me want to be a forensic linguist…..

    I hope that everything you’re stressed about is resolved soon! Be well.

  14. Laurie @ Bark's Book Nonsense

    Isn’t it great to be able to shop your own house? I spent the other day going through most of my books and I found so much good stuff! It’s not organized but I feel better now knowing that I have some awesome reading ahead of me.

  15. Tanya @ Girl Plus Books

    Sorry to hear about the health issues. That’s always stressful. I need to make an appointment with my doctor because I have an actual list of things to discuss. None of them major, but I’ve waited until I have a freaking *list.* Gee, she’s going to love seeing me. Ha! Finding 2 pairs of boots… score! That’s awesome. I have an ARC of The Raging Ones, too. I adore Krista and Becca Ritchie and their new adult Addicted series is my favorite contemporary series ever. I’m actually not the biggest fantasy reader but I’m excited for TRO because it’s them. 🙂

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks <3 I think that makes more sense, might as well get everything out of the way in one appointment, haha. I haven't read any of Krista's or Becca's other books, but it seems everyone loves them!

  16. Olivia Roach

    Yay for new-ish shoes because you didn’t realise you had them! I am sorry that your health isn’t improving though :/ Really hoping you can find a solution that works for you soon. But my, have you been able to read so many books. Quite a few Harry Potter ones as well! I still have to work my way through that series for the first time…

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thank you <3 I think I'm getting closer to figuring it out (well, the latest issues, not all the rest lol), but not entirely there yet. I did get lots of reading done though!

  17. Becky @ A Fool's Ingenuity

    I feel you on being behind on blogs. I am continually a week behind on blog posts and even further behind in replying to my own blog comments. I haven’t even had a chance to visit the blogs of new folks who have stopped by. I am basically accepting that until real life things calm down I am not going to be able to blog as much as I might hope. It frustrates the hell out of me and I’m still finding some time for other things so it sucks that health issues are stopping you from doing things you want. I hope your health improves a bit for you but I know you’re stressing about a lot of things. Yay for finding surprise boots, though. That’s always fun, I’m slowly going through my wardrobe and I’m loving some of the clothes I’m rediscovering. it’s awesome!

    And OMG that dating sim sounds hilarious! I love when weird impulse buys end up being fun. I am tempted to check it out, but I am meant to be beginning a spending ban to try and catch up on all the books and games I’ve bought recently so it may have to wait a little while.

    Hopefully, your next update will have some more positive news for you but happy reading. I’ll now spend the rest of the week trying to catch up on everyone’s posts.

    1. Kristen Burns

      At this point I’m pretty much just returning visits to the people who visit me and not able to check my feed to find other posts a whole lot. But I’m starting to get caught up. It’s just hard to accept when we can’t blog as much, or at least it is for me because I love doing it and it’s where I get most of my social interaction from. Also I’m broke and need review copies and I won’t get those if my stats go down lol. Thank you <3 The surprise boots were awesome! Yay for rediscovering clothes!

      When I'm feeling better, I need to try again and see if I can get me some sexy times with one of the characters lol 😉

      Thanks! Good luck with the catch-up 🙂