Buzzfeed Books Summer 2022 Reading Challenge

Happy Wednesday! Today is the last day of Summer, and I thought it'd be fun to close out the season with a list of books I read during Summer. I've participated in a couple of reading challenges during the summer, but my favorite one is the Buzzfeed Books reading challenge. Buzzfeed Books usually has a reading challenge every season. The challenge usually consists of six prompts.

Fair warning, I didn't complete the entire challenge, but I did complete most of the prompts. Ready to check out which prompts I completed? Ok, let's go.

A Book With A Yellow Cover

I read The Summer of Sunflowers by Lila Grey. This was the first book that I've read by Lila Grey. This novella was a quick and light read. The Summer of Sunflowers was such a cute story about a single mom named Juniper and her grumpy neighbor, Cody. Initially, Cody finds things to complain about and acts annoyed, but he is intrigued by Juniper and bonds with Juniper's son, Tobias. Tobias was adorable, and I loved how Cody, Tobias, and Cody's dog, Dagda were close. Eventually, Cody and Juniper begin to have feelings for each other, and Cody decides to make his move after seeing Juniper on a date.

A Second Chance Romance

I read a few second chance romance novels and novellas; however, one of my favorite ones is Order Up Love by Kali Hart. This is the fourth book in the Mountain Men of Caribou Creek series. The story follows Willow and Mason. Willow returns home after her grandmother requests that Willow and her sisters come to see her. She hopes to avoid the love of her life, Mason, while she's in town, but you know that's not going to happen. Mason is still in love with Willow and wants to find out what she is hiding. 

A Book Set During A Vacation

I read It Must Have Been the Mistletoe by M.L. Broome. Yes, this story is set during Christmas, don't judge me. I will always read a holiday romance or two during summer. The story is about Penny and Jackson. Penny and Jackson were supposed to get married. While planning their wedding, Jackson is approached by a famous musician and is asked to join their tour as they need a drummer. Jackson and Penny talked about it, and Penny told Jackson he should go for it. However, things take a turn for the worse when the lead singer of the band kisses Jackson and sends a photo of the kiss to Penny. Penny and Jackson break up. Fast forward, Penny decides to go on a vacation to their lakehouse before selling it. While there, Jackson arrives and attempts to patch things up with Penny. 

The story was pretty decent, but I wish Jackson did some more groveling. I think he had several childish moments, especially when they broke up. 

A Book With Dual Timelines

I read Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren. I don't usually read books with dual timelines because I never really read any books that were formatted in a way for the story to make sense. However, the time jumps in this book made sense and didn't feel all over the place.

Love and Other Words is the story of Macy and Elliot, who met when they were kids, and the story continues as they become teenagers and once they meet again as adults. I really loved that Macy and Elliot bonded over books and their special closet/library. I liked most of the characters and was very sympathetic towards Macy. She went through so much. I also felt awful for Elliot. 

*SPOILERS BELOW*

Macy and Elliot were separated for a decade because Macy thought Elliot cheated on her. Elliot got drunk at a party and a girl named Emma, who had a crush and a prior fling with Elliot, snuck into his bed. Macy caught them and ran off. She never spoke to him again until they met again ten years later. There was no discussion on what happened to Elliot. What happened to Elliot was terrible, and the author just sort of overlooked the situation. Elliot was date raped and how the situation was handled was awful and problematic. 

Overall, I thought Love and Other Words was worth reading, and it was a well-written book. I would have given it five stars, but what happened to Elliot made me drop my rating. I personally don't have any triggers, but I think it would have been beneficial for other readers who would like them.

A New (To You) Format

I started reading The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. I haven't finished it yet (so close), but I thought it was worth mentioning because I'm really enjoying this book. I don't think I've ever read a book like this one before. I love that the book is made up of vignettes. I've read short story collections, but I don't think I've read a book made up of vignettes. Also, Sandra Cisneros is a new-to-me author. I have heard of the House of Mango Street and a few other of Cisneros' work but never read any. I don't know how I've gone this long without reading her work. However, I'm glad I decided to try this book. 

The House on Mango Street is about Esperanza Cordero, a Chicana girl living in a Chicago neighborhood with her family. The story follows a year in her life and begins with Esperanza talking about how her family first arrived at their home. The story progresses as Esperanza matures and notices the world around her. Esperanza goes through puberty and some life-changing and traumatic experiences that make her want to leave Mango Street. 

A Book By An Indigenous Author

I didn't read a book by an indigenous author, but I plan to read The Things She's Seen by Ambelin Kwaymullina. If you have any recommendations on books by indigenous authors, please send them my way. I'd love to read some more work by indigenous authors. 

Did you participate in Buzzfeed Books' 2022 Summer Reading Challenge? What other book challenges have you signed up for? What are you currently reading?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Buzzfeed Books 2021 Spring Reading Challenge

I love book challenges. I've been participating in the Goodreads Reading Challenge for the past few years. It's a simple reading challenge. You select a number of books that you would like to read for the year. This year, my goal was to read 100 books. I have surpassed this goal, and as of today, I have read 212 books. Some of these books are novellas, but I still count those. 

Another challenge that I decided to participate in is Buzzfeed Books' 2021 Spring Reading Challenge. I love the idea of having a seasonal reading challenge. I'm also a Buzzfeed and Buzzfeed Books fan, so I definitely needed to try this challenge. And I'm so glad that I did. 

A book set in a place on your bucket list

I read Merciless Hunter by Faith Summers. This is the fourth book in the Dark Syndicate series and is an enemies-to-lovers romance. The story takes place in California (specifically in San Francisco and L.A.) and Brazil.

The book is about a man named Aiden whose wife and son were killed. However, he finds out that his son was not actually killed, and his only goal in life now is to find his son and get revenge for the death of his wife. 

Olivia is a woman who is being held captive along with her mother by an evil man named Jude. Olivia is desperate to find out who she thought was dead for the last few years. Instead, she finds out that Jude is responsible for her brother's disappearance. Jude is holding her captive so that he can marry and get control of her father's company. Olivia decides to come up with a plan to get help from Aiden.

There were so many twists and turns in this book. I really enjoyed the story, and at times my heart broke for both of the main characters and some of the secondary characters. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

*If you decide to read this book and/or the entire series, please beware of some triggers.*

A genre you don't normally read

This was a tough prompt. I wasn't sure whether this book would count for this category since it falls under several genres. However, I'm going to count it towards this prompt.

I read Horizontal Parenting: How to Entertain Your Kid While Lying Down by Michelle Woo. Horizontal Parenting obviously falls under the genre of parenting and families, but it could also fall under comics/graphic novels as well as humor. I haven't read any parenting books in a long time, and I can't remember the last time I read a parenting book that falls under those three genres.

Horizontal Parenting was a cute book with some great ideas on games to play with your kids while lying down. The illustrations were great. Some of the games are silly, and there were a few that I actually may have to try. This book is perfect for all parents and would make a great gift for first-time parents.

*I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

A book published this year

I read Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo. I was so excited to read this book because it was compared to Elizabeth Acevedo's books. Let me tell you, this book did not disappoint. It was fantastic. It was so good.

Home Is Not a Country is a verse novel and a quick read. I could relate to a few things in this novel. The themes and details were interesting. 

The book is broken down into three parts. The first part is about Nima's life in the United States. She deals with hardships like bullying and trying to fit in. In the second part of the book, Nima enters a dream-like state or world. She deals with Yasmeen, the person she imagines she would be if her mother had given her that name and if her father hadn't died. There were times that my heart broke for Nima. In the third and final part of the book, Nima is back in her world. 

*I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

A book with a plant on the cover

I read Goldenrod by Maggie Smith. Goldenrod is a poetry collection about life. There were poems about divorce, parenting, love, and being alone. The poems were amazing and so powerful. I loved the metaphors and details.

*I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

A book that gives off "cottagecore" vibes

I felt so old when I read this prompt. I had no idea what in the world "cottagecore" even meant. But that's another story for another day.

I read Theron by Kali Hart. It's a very short "insta-love" romance. The story is about a woman named Isla who dreams of visiting Alaska in honor of her mother. They both wanted to visit Alaska, but unfortunately, Isla's mother passed away before they could go on the trip. Isla decides to sell almost all of her possessions and buys an SUV to make the trip. While she is just outside of town, her car breaks down, and she calls an old friend, Theron, for help. When they finally meet up, they are both immediately attracted to one another. As I said before, it's a short story, so I don't want to give too much away. 

A collection of poetry or short stories

I read Eating Salad Drunk by Gabe Henry. Eating Salad Drunk is a collection of haikus by various contributors. I loved that the haikus were supposed to be funny. There were a few that made me laugh out loud. The haikus focus on different topics like friends and family, food, modern romance, and entertainment. This was a quick read and took me about an hour to read. It's a great pick-me-up, and it's perfect for reading on a rainy day.

*I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Did you participate in Buzzfeed Books' 2021 Spring Reading Challenge? What other book challenges have you signed up for? What are you currently reading?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...