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Journal with Me: Caitlyn’s 2023 Reading Journal

Happy happy New Year, dear readers! I’m so excited to be sharing some of my favorite spreads from my 2023 reading journal with you all!

In 2022 I set up a traveler sized reading journal, and though it was nice, I didn’t end up using it as much as I had wanted to. I thought that the traveler size would make me feel less pressured to create large and detailed spreads, and while it did achieve that, I actually felt that the size was really restrictive to my creative process and I ended up only using two spreads consistently.

For 2023, I really want to utilize this journal not only for tracking my reads, goals and challenges, but also for creative spreads for books that resonated with me throughout the year. This time around I decided to go with an 8×8 journal, and I’m feeling much more creatively inspired!

So, grab a cup of tea, get cozy and let’s take a look at some of my spreads for my 2023 reading journal!

*Note that I am not affiliated with any brands that are mentioned in this post. 

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Let’s Talk: My Favorite Reads of 2022 Part 2

Hello, friends! Can you believe that we’re approaching the end of 2022? I really can’t — I know I say it constantly, but time really is not real. It’s been a whirlwind of a year, and I’m looking forward to what’s in store for 2023!

As the end of the year is right around the corner, it’s time for my Favorite Reads of 2022 Part 2 post! You can check out Part 1 here. The books featured here are reads that were new to me in 2022 — and as of this post I’ve read almost 100 books in the second half of the year, it was definitely hard to narrow it down to the 12 listed here!

As always, I have done my best to list trigger warnings based on my own personal notes, trigger warnings from other reviews and what is listed on websites like Book Trigger Warnings and Trigger Warning Database if needed. That being said, there may be things that I have forgotten and if so I apologize! If you’ve read any of these books and notice that I’m missing some triggers, please let me know so that I can update the trigger lists!

✩ indicates an ARC / Read as an ARC

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Blog Tour and Review: Five Survive by Holly Jackson

Eight hours. Six friends. Five survive. A road trip turns deadly in this addictive YA thriller from the bestselling author of the worldwide phenomenon A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER.

Red Kenny is on a road trip for spring break with five friends: Her best friend – the older brother – his perfect girlfriend – a secret crush – a classmate – and a killer.

When their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere with no cell service, they soon realize this is no accident. They have been trapped by someone out there in the dark, someone who clearly wants one of them dead.

With eight hours until dawn, the six friends must escape, or figure out which of them is the target. But is there a liar among them? Buried secrets will be forced to light and tensions inside the RV will reach deadly levels. Not all of them will survive the night. . . . 

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Annotate with Me: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Part Three)

Hello friends! Well, I had originally planned on my Little Women annotation series being two posts (which you can read here — one, two), but to absolutely no one’s surprise — well, I guess to my surprise because I was being an absolute clown — I had so much to say and the series has now been split into three posts. 

This post focuses on Laurie’s proposals to Jo and Amy, as well as how Amy and Laurie grow together while they’re in Europe. It, as always, is a long one because I have many thoughts and I have very strong opinions on these scenes. So, grab your cup of tea, get cozy and let’s get started!

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Annotate with Me: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Part Two)

Hi y’all! I’m back with the second part of my Annotate with Me post for Little Women — you can read part one here. Volume two of Little Women, also known as Good Wives, takes place three years after the conclusion of part one, and the second half of the book really does have some of my favorite scenes in the entire book, so I’m really excited to share my thoughts with you all. 

This time around, I wanted to focus on Meg and Beth, as I feel like they don’t get enough appreciation and I just adore them! So, get cozy, grab a cup of tea, and let’s talk about the less appreciated March sisters.

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Review: The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake

Six magicians were presented with the opportunity of a lifetime.

Five are now members of the Society.

Two paths lay before them.

All must pick a side.

Alliances will be tested, hearts will be broken, and The Society of Alexandrians will be revealed for what it is: a secret society with raw, world-changing power, headed by a man whose plans to change life as we know it are already under way.

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Annotate with Me: Romeo and Juliet

Hi friends! Welcome back to another Annotate with Me post! As we know, I am a Shakespeare fan first and human second, so today’s post is focused on one of my most favorite Shakespeare plays — Romeo and Juliet.

Something that particularly motivated me to work on this post is that I see so many people say that the only reason why they don’t read Shakespeare is that they don’t really understand the language and that makes them feel inferior or unintelligent. That truly breaks my heart! I started reading Shakespeare when I was around fourteen, and I loved it but didn’t fully understand it. Then in college, as a theatre major, we had an entire class on Shakespeare, and my love kind of turned into an obsession because I was able to really understand and dissect his works. That is to say: no one is “not smart enough” to understand Shakespeare, you just need to spend a little more time learning how to read Shakespeare.

Shakespeare wrote for the masses, and I feel strongly that everyone should be exposed to his writing because he wrote about the spectrum of human emotion. I personally have learned so much through reading Shakespeare and that is thanks to the teachers I had who helped me understand him. While I am in no way a Shakespeare expert, I do think that I have a good grasp of his works and I would love to help others develop a love for him as well. And, to be 100% transparent I have SparkNotes and CliffsNotes open while I read as it usually helps me process my thoughts, and remember what happens in which scenes, since in the case of Romeo and Juliet, I’ve read it so many times that sometimes the minute details blend together.

So, all that being said, whether you love Shakespeare or not, I hope you enjoy hearing my thoughts, observations, and analysis on one of my all-time favorite stories, Romeo and Juliet. 

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Review: Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala

When her long lost cousin comes back to town just in time for the holidays, Lila Macapagal knows that big trouble can’t be far behind in this new mystery by Mia P. Manansala, author of Arsenic and Adobo.

It’s Christmastime in Shady Palms, but things are far from jolly for Lila Macapagal. Sure, her new business, The Brew-ha Cafe, is looking to turn a profit in its first year. And yes, she’s taken the first step in a new romance with her good friend, Jae Park. But her cousin Ronnie is back in town after ghosting the family fifteen years ago, claiming that his recent purchase of a local winery shows that he’s back on his feet and ready to give back to the Shady Palms community. Tita Rosie is thrilled with the return of her prodigal son, but Lila knows that wherever Ronnie goes, trouble follows.

She’s soon proven right when Ronnie is accused of murder, and secrets and rumors surrounding her shady cousin and those involved with the winery start piling up. Now Lila has to put away years of resentment and distrust to prove her cousin’s innocence. He may be a jerk, but he’s still family. And there’s no way her flesh and blood could actually be a murderer…right?

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Review: Stolen City by Elisa A. Bonnin

Twin thieves attempt to pull off a daring heist in Stolen City, the sophomore fantasy novel from Dauntless author Elisa A. Bonnin.

The city of Leithon is under Imperial occupation and Arian Athensor has made it her playground.

In stealing magical artifacts for the Resistance, bounding over rooftops to evade Imperial soldiers, and establishing herself as the darling thief of the underground, Arian lives a life wrapped in danger and trained towards survival. She’ll steal anything for the right price, and if she runs fast enough, she can almost escape the fact that her mother is dead, her father is missing, and her brother, Liam, is tamping down a wealth of power in a city that has outlawed magic.

But then the mysterious Cavar comes to town with a job for the twins: to steal an artifact capable of ripping the souls from the living–the same artifact that used to hang around the neck of Arian’s mother. Suddenly, her past is no longer buried under adrenaline but intimately tied to the mission at hand, and Arian must face her guilt and pain head-on in order to pull off the heist.

As Arian and Cavar infiltrate the strongest fortress in Leithon and Liam joins the Resistance as their resident mage, the twins find themselves embroiled in court politics and family secrets, and the mission becomes more than just another artifact theft. The target is now the Imperial rule, and Arian will go to any length necessary to steal her city back.

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Annotate with Me: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Part 1)

Hello friends! September 30th was the 154th anniversary of the release of Little Women,  and I thought that this would be the perfect time to post part one of my two-part Annotate with Me series on Little Women!

Nowadays, editions of Little Women are printed with both volumes (Little Women and Good Wives), but in 1868, only volume one, Little Women was published. Because of that, this post will focus on some of my favorite scenes from volume one!

Get cozy, grab a cup of tea, and let’s annotate volume one of Little Women!

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