March 2019 – Book Dust Magic

Sunday Post (Weekly Wrap Up March 25th-31st) #SundayPost #Blogging #WrapUp #Reading

Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

This meme was created for bloggers to spotlight posts they published in the week, as well as to talk about what they plan to write in the week that’s coming.

Sunday post is also great opportunity to showcase books we got in the week behind us.

Hi Guys,

We had beautiful, sunny weather Friday and Saturday, and since Sunday is also sunny, when this post will be posted I will probably be in a coffee shop with my friend.

I survived the working week, and yesterday my sister came for a visit, because my birthday will be this Monday.

We were hanging all day, and we also went to cinema together, to watch Dumbo.
Here is the pic of us waiting for the movie to start (we were first one in the hall):

Also, when we’re at birthdays, I realized I forgot to mention in my last Sunday post that on March 21st we celebrated GiGi’s first birthday, so here is one picture of him to salute:

Last week on Book Dust Magic:

Monday: I talked about the movie Us

Wednesday: I reviewed a book called A Year of Being Single

Friday: I told you my how I decided to rebrand my blog into lifestyle/book blog

Saturday: I reviewed The Summer of Chasing Dreams by Holly Martin

Next week on Book Dust Magic:

Upcoming reviews:

I also plan to talk about books I read in March, and I’ll also include one lifestyle post.

Book Haul:

I learned that Katherine Arden will soon come to Croatia, so I plan to go to her event. I am so excited to meet her, so I bought two copies of her novel The Bear and the Nightingale which I’ll ask her to sign, one for me, and one for you guys. So expect a giveaway in April!

That is it!
Let me know what’s been going on with you, what you’ve been reading or watching this week and feel free to leave your links so I can visit you.
Have a lovely Sunday!

The one for hopeless romantics: The Summer of Chasing Dreams by Holly Martin (Blog Tour) #BookReview #BlogTour #Romance #TheSummerOfChasingDreams

Today I am proud to be the host in The Summer of Chasing Dreams blog tour.
I want to say thank you to Holly Martin for inviting me.
I enjoyed reading Eva’s story and now I’m ready to tell you all about it.

About the book:

Eva is quite content with her life in London. In her job as a cover designer, she works at home, and often in her cosy pyjamas. She’s happy to stay in her safe little world and not explore much outside of it.

She is the opposite of her mum, a free spirit who craved finding adventure and thrills in all corners of the world. But on the day her mum’s will is finalised, Eva finds a list of all the dreams her mum wanted to achieve in her life. Things she never did because she fell pregnant with Eva.

Eva decides these dreams will not go unfulfilled — she is going to be brave and complete them for her mum. As Eva has no experience travelling the world, she hires a guide to go with her on this holiday.

Gorgeous but rude Thor Anderson is not the person she would choose to accompany her on this journey, but somehow she gets stuck with him. As they discover the world together Eva starts to think he might not be as bad as she first thought. She is swept away by Thor’s kindness and mischievous sense of humour. But will it be a simple holiday romance or could this wonderful adventure lead to so much more?

My Review:

Holly Martin is one author I always like to support. Her books are always uplifting, perfect to made a stormy day brighter, or sunny day even more shiny. In other words, they radiate happiness, and The Summer of Chasing Dreams was no exception.

The story follows Eva Blue (who’s name reminds me of Beyonce’s daughter) who, after her mother’s death, goes on an adventure to chase dreams her mother never had an opportunity to experience.
Her company is a tourist guide called Thor (and yes, that is his real name).
They go on that adventure alone, because Eva paid for the private tour, and the more countries they visit, the stronger their connection is.

I was never the one to enjoy road trip books, so the main reason why I decided to read this book is the author.
I would probably never pick it up based on synopsis.
However, now I am glad I did, because I really enjoyed it.

I love the way the connection was built between our main characters. I, as a reader, could sense it immediately, but it took some time until Eva and Thor recognized it too.
They tried to resist it at first, but with time, it was impossible for them.

The only thing that I wasn’t a fan of was how Thor was an unrealistic character. I don’t think any kind of man would talk about his feelings so openly from the very beginning and I don’t know… He just seemed like a character girls dream about, but I don’t think there are those kind of men in the real world.
Everything about him and his behaviour was… Like he was pulled from someone’s imagination (and in reality, he was: from Holly Martin’s imagination).
Most women will probably like him for that, but I had to say how I feel…

The writing style was great. Easy to read and enjoyable.
The story is written in third person, and it mostly follows Eva’s POV, with some small parts with Thor’s POV.

The end was predictable (as it usually is in romantic comedies) but I wouldn’t change anything about it.

I would recommend The Summer of Chasing Dreams to everyone who likes to read romantic stories, but also to those who enjoy reading about adventures around the world.

Follow the tour:

Let’s talk: I am branching out #LifeStyle #Bloggers #RealTalk #BookBloggers

For the last couple of months I’ve been thinking about my blog and the content I am putting out there.
It has been over three years since I launched Book Dust Magic, and as it happens in life, my interests have expand.

When I started, books were my everything. I could talk about them 24/7 and they were the only non-living thing that I truly cared for.

Although books are still my number one love, there are so many other things I now feel passionate about, but also so many new things I’d like to try, so this is why I decided to rebrand Book Dust Magic into a lifestyle blog.
Calling it book/lifestyle blog would be more appropriate.

There will still be plenty of book posts here, but I decided to add different kind of content too.
There will be one article about something other then books or movies every week, and here I plan to talk about my travelling experience, review different brands, talk about skin care, mental illness, self care, fitness…

Last year I wrote about my trip to Albania and in all honesty, I wrote it to make a memory, but I really enjoyed writing that content.
Because of that, I decided to write another travelling post, this time about my time in Budapest.
Sometime around Christmas time I decided to show you what LUSH products I bought myself for Christmas time and that post was so well received that it truly surprised me. It is now my most viewed post, and almost everyday at least one person stumbles upon it, even though Christmas is way behind us.

This year I also had an opportunity to write sponsored post about computer program I use anyway, PDFelement, and the whole experience made me feel really good about myself, but it also opened my eyes.

I realized I like writing different kinds of content, and I don’t want to limit myself to only bookish ones.
Truth be told, my non bookish posts were more accepted and viewed then any of my book reviews, even though I put my heart and soul into them.

I am not going to stop reviewing books. I do it for myself and this is why I’m still keeping up with it (even though book blogging with all the drama and other things left a bad taste in my mouth).

I am still a book blogger, because books are my number one love, but I want to talk about my other loves too, and also write about my experience considering life and things I come across with, to make a memory for myself, and then for others who want to read about them.

Tree photo created by tirachardz – www.freepik.com

Book Review: A Year of Being Single by Fiona Collins #BookReview #WomensFiction #AYearOfBeingSingle

Title: A Year of Being Single

Author: Fiona Collins

Publisher: HQ digital, Carina

Date: April 21st, 2016

Pages: 260

Format: eARC

Source: from Publisher for a review

Review:

This year I made a decision to clear out my Netgalley shelf, so there are lots of backlists reviews coming your way, so be prepared!

A Year of Being Single is the one title I had on my tbr for the longest time, and there are really no excuses why I haven’t picked it up before. I could bore you with me whining how I didn’t have time to read all the titles I wanted to, how I was in a reviewing slump that lasted for almost a and all that jazz, but I won’t.
The one important thing is, I am reviewing it now, so I’ll just say “Better late then never”.

My expectations for A Year of Being Single weren’t too high to begin with, but I did expect it to be better then it was.

The story follows three friends, Imogen, Frankie and Grace who all decide to spend a year as single ladies. This sounds like a good premise for fun, right?
Well, the story itself wasn’t fun at all.
I am not sure if the sense of humour in this book was very different for my own, so I didn’t laugh at all while reading, or is it the fact that this book actually wasn’t funny.
I know there are so many books out there that are masterpieces and they don’t have any jokes in them, aren’t funny at all, but if you promise me a laugh-out-loud story in your premise, then I expect to smile at least once!

Also, I expected that A Year of Being Single would be a novel about friendship and relationships friends have with each other, but what we really got in this book were three different stories to follow, about three women who decided to be single, but are kind of desperate about it.

I didn’t like how they lied to each other about men they were hanging out with. I mean, if you’re singe, you can still mingle!
It’s like these characters “decided” to do a year of celibate, not of being single. I mean, you don’t have to whore yourself while being single, but we all know that being single does not mean not even talking to guys or having some fun while building relationship with yourself.

What I also didn’t click with is how these women had a need to change guys.
It is very different from my point of view on relationships. I believe that you have to find yourself a person you like, to be with him/her, and not someone you would like if only this/that was different about them.
People are not projects, and there is a reason why there are so many of us. If you constantly have to change people around you, ask yourself whether the one who needs to change is you!

The story is written in third person, following perspectives of Grace, Frankie and Imogen.

Out of all of them, I liked Frankie’s story the best, even though I still don’t understand how could she just leave her four children because she had enough.
I still wonder if I misunderstood that part!

Overall, this was a quick read and I would still recommend it to women’s fiction lovers.

Movie Monday: Us – the one with creepy music #MovieMonday #MovieReview #UsMovie #Horror

Movie Monday is a feature here on my blog, in which I’m rambling about movies I’ve watched lately.

This week I watched a movie everyone talks about at the moment, and I will give you my two cents.

Us

I think I was one of the last people to hear about movie Us. I mean, one of the last people of us who try to keep up with movies. I am aware there are thousands who still have no clue about it.

One of my colleagues told me about this picture and she even showed me the trailer.
As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to watch it. The trailer was creepy, and if you know me, I like creepy stuff.

Since I didn’t have anyone to go with, I decided to go and see it all by myself (I wrote about it in my Sunday Post). I picked 5 p.m. show, just to be sure I would come home safely (aka I wouldn’t shit my pants out of fear).

The movie was solid. I am sorry but I can’t say I was fascinated by it, even though I know it is much loved.
I love horrors, and because I watch them often, I can say I’ve seen better.
The story idea is original, I can’t deny that, but the movie as a whole was just mediocre.
Even with all the explanations some things stayed unrealistic (and the big plot twist was not surprising, but it also didn’t have the ground, when you think about what characters were saying through the movie…).

My favorite part was music. It was really creepy and it gave me chills. It is the best horror music I heard in the last few years.
The opening scene with rabbits was also creepy. I liked it so much I am still fascinated by it, even though it was actually very simple.
Little things like that are what I appreciate in movies.

The humour was also great. The father was so funny, and I even laughed out loud at some scenes.
If there wasn’t the humour, I think Us would be less accepted with the audience.

There are some big names behind this movie, and I honestly think they are the reason why this movie is so hyped. I don’t think it’s that good!
If it was written by not so famous writer and if it didn’t have Lupita as main actress, I don’t think people would talk about it at all.

The ending was unsatisfying. I didn’t stay in theater to see if there was a scene after the credit, but from what I saw, all that “performance” looked kind of stupid.

I’ve heard there are some theories about Us so I plan to google them. Who knows, maybe they will make me see things I missed, maybe I’ll appreciate the movie more, even though I doubt it.

Sunday Post (Weekly Wrap Up March 18th-24th) #SundayPost #Bloggers #WrapUp #Reading

Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

This meme was created for bloggers to spotlight posts they published in the week, as well as to talk about what they plan to write in the week that’s coming.

Sunday post is also great opportunity to showcase books we got in the week behind us.

Hi Guys,

Happy Sunday! I decided that today will be a happy day. The Sun is shining, it’s a wonderful day… it would be a shame if my mood was different, right?
After the stressful week, shiny Sunday is what I need (don’t we all?).

Since most of the day I will spend alone (Fiance has to work today, even if it’s Sunday) I will go to the movies all by myself.
I know it’s a normal thing to do to many people, but to me it is a big kind of deal.
I’ve never did such thing before, but in all honesty, I am tired of missing out on little things in life because I don’t have anyone to go with on certain places…
Some people travel the world alone and here I am, always waiting on someone…
Well, I am done with that, and beside, I think going to theater alone will be good practice for my anxiety.

Other then that, I plan to spend my day doing some boring house work, plus reading, writing, blogging and all that jazz…

Last week on Book Dust Magic:

Monday: I took part in the blog tour for The Island Affair by Helena Halme and reviewed the book

Wednesday: I talked about backlisted books I’ll be reading this Spring

Friday: I reviewed The Day We Met by Roxie Cooper

Next week on Book Dust Magic:

Upcoming reviews:

I will aso talk why I decided to rebrand Book Dust Magic into lifestyle blog.

Book Haul:

Yesterday I bought myself this beautiful copy of Nevermoor.

I was also invited to review several books via Netgalley:

Currently reading:

Today I am in a mood for some romance, so I decided to pick up Rainy Day Kisses by Debbie Macomber.

Giveaway:

There’s still a giveaway going on here on Book Dust Magic right now, and you can win yourself a book of choice. It is international, and you can enter here.

That is it!
Let me know what’s been going on with you, what you’ve been reading or watching this week and feel free to leave your links so I can visit you.
Have a lovely Sunday!

Falsley described: The Day We Met by Roxie Cooper (Book Review) #BookReview #GeneralFiction #TheDayWeMet #BookBloggers

The day we met by roxie cooper cover

Title: The Day We Met

Author: Roxie Cooper

Publisher: Ebury Press, Penguin

Date: March 7th, 2019

Pages: 464

Format: Physical ARC

Source: from Publisher for a review

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Review:

Warning: This review contains spoilers

Warning no2: This book talks about cheating!!

There is a reason why I told myself multiple times I have to write my reviews as soon as I finish a book.
I read this book during Valentine’s Day (and was nervous because I expected an epic romance and got a cat in the bag!), so I have to warn you that this review will be all over the place, because it has been a month since I finished it.
I will try to keep it short, and the only excuse I have is that I wasn’t ready to articulate my thoughts, after so much disappointment this book brought into my reading life.

The Day We Met was presented as a love story between two people who were meant to be together, but they have to find the way to be with each other.

Let me tell you stories about destined lovers who have to find their way and courage to be with each other are my absolutely favorite.
I love stories in which it takes time for love to find happiness, so because of that The Day We Met was my most anticipated novel of 2019.
I expected to be similar to One Day in December, but instead of that we got a story about two cheaters we should root for.

I don’t mind cheating in my stories, I think it is one big part of the world we live in, but this time it was too much even for me.
I couldn’t morally agree with our main characters, and the fact they were too weak to grow a spine, so they made fools of their partners for 10 years with cheating and daydreaming about each other.
And the worst thing? It could have all been avoided, because when they met Stephanie wasn’t even married!

Talking about main characters, I really, REALLY didn’t like Stephanie. She is that type of girl who is actually a snake in lamb’s clothes. She is selfish cheater who thinks of herself as a victim who needs protection.
Jamie was a whole nother story!

The only good thing about this book was the writing style. It was almost perfect, read so fast and it is the reason why I would want to read another book by Roxie Cooper.

The end was, in lack of better description, Nicholas Sparks going bad.
You know how his stories usually take dramatic turn… Well, this one took that turn and run over bridge.
It made me question if I’m a bad person, because I didn’t care for that “heartbreaking” thing that happened. I wasn’t sorry. There, I said it!

And speaking of the end, the very end was unrealistic and just plain stupid. There is just no way Stephanie’s husband would allow it!

Overall, since so many people find this book to be amazing, if you thought about reading just give it a try, but I can’t say I recommend it.

book review rating 2,75 hearts

10 backlists to read this Spring (2019) #SpringCleaning #Spring #BookLovers #BookBloggers

The Spring is here, and you know what that means?
Spring cleaning!

In other words, it is time for me to clear my tbr and read some books that have been there for some time now.
All of these titles will be read and reviewed here on Book Dust Magic, so this list will also give you a sight of what you can expect in the next three months (but don’t worry, there will be plenty of other titles reviewed too).

Without further ado, here is my…

Spring 2019 back titles reading list:

Late Summer in the Vineyard by Jo Thomas

Late Summer in the Vineyard Jo Thomas book cover

Jo Thomas is my favorite author at the moment, so I want to read all of her books this Spring. Originally I wanted to read them before 2018 was over (I have three of her books on my unread shelf) but I decided to wait until spring, since her books are filled with sunshine and happiness. Late Summer in the Vineyard was published in 2016.

One Thousand Stars and You by Isabelle Broom

One Thousand Stars and You Isabelle Broom book cover

Isabelle Broom is also one of my favourite authors, and I am also behind with her titles. One Thousand Stars and You takes place in Sri Lanka, and I can’t wait to read Broom’s descriptions of that magical place, she is well known about her ability to take readers on trip with her characters. One Thousand Stars and You was published in 2018.

The Little Teashop of Lost and Found by Trisha Ashley

The Little Teashop of Lost and Found by Trisha Ashley book cover

I have this book on my bookshelf for a while now. As you probably already know, I was in a huge blogging slump that lasted from Spring 2017 to Summer 2018, and this book was victim along with some other titles.
This Spring I plan to make it all up, take this novel on a journey with me, and I will tell you all about it in my special blog post. The Little Teashop of Lost and Found was published in 2017.

Orange Blossom Days by Patricia Scanlan

Orange Blossom Days Patricia Scanlan book cover hardback

This is another victim that suffered because of my blogging slump. Orange Blossom Days screams with sunshine, summer and sea, and I am finally ready to dive myself into this story.
I can’t wait to spread the love with all of you after I finish this story. This book was published in 2017.

I heart Forever by Lindsey Kelk

This wouldn’t be a proper reading list if it didn’t feature one of Lindsey Kelk’s titles, right? I mean, every time I make a list of books to read, there’s always at least one of books written by her. Even though she one of my favorite authors, I am always behind… And it’s kind of embarrassing that I still haven’t read I heart Forever, since this is my all time favorite chick lit series… Well, now when I heart Hawaii is coming out, I am ready to read Forever, and because I have two copies of this book, there will also be a giveaway, so make sure to keep up with Book Dust Magic!
I heart Forever was published in 2017.

Last Letter Home by Rachel Hore

Last Letter Home sounds like a perfect book to read when I’ll be visiting my parents in my child home (surrounded by my cats). I love it when stories take place in two different times that together make one whole.
I plan to read this novel pretty soon, and tell you all about it. It was published in 2018.

Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West

In case you didn’t know, Kasie West is my favourite ya author. I love how her books always bright up my mood, and I could read and reread the over and over and over.
However, I am still behind with some of her titles, so I plan to catch up with all of them (there’s only three on my list of her unread books). Out of all of her titles on my tbr list, Listen to Your Heard appeals to me the most. It was published in 2018.

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Elantris Brandon Sanderson book cover UK edition

It’s been awhile since I finished Sanderson’s Mistborn series, and in all honesty, I am craving some good adult fantasy. My friend who recommended me Mistborn in the first place borrowed me his copy of Elantris, and I’ll be reading it very, very soon. I was sure this was a standalone, but Goodreads says it’s the first in the series, so now I’m confused. Whatever it is, I am ready to figure out. Elantris was published in 2011.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

This series is on so many bloggers’ favourite lists, and I am ready to feature it on my list too! As I already stated, I crave for a good fantasy, and as I’ve been told, this book is beautifully written. There’s nothing I like more then a book with beautiful sentences to underline and quote. Strange the Dreamer was first published in 2017.

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Nevermoor The Trials of Morrigan Crow Jessica Townsend book cover UK edition

Have you ever felt like a book was calling you? I know it sounds strange, but for the last few months, I feel like Nevermoor is calling me, and I am finally ready to pick it up and see why do I have that strong feeling that this books features something I need in my life.
I don’t read middle grade often, but every time I do, I fall in love with the genre, and promise myself I will read it more often. This is the only book on this list that I haven’t purchased yet, but I will buy it very soon.
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow was published in 2018.

That is it!
What books do you plan to read this Spring?
Tell me all about it in comments. 🙂

Book Review: The Island Affair by Helena Halme (Blog Tour) #BookReview #BlogTour #TheIslandAffair #GeneralFiction

The Island Affair by Helena Halme book cover

I am so honoured to participate in The Island Affair blog tour.
I want to say thank you to Anne Carter from Random Things Tour for inviting me.
I enjoyed reading this novel as it reminded me of something that felt like home, even if I’ve never experienced anything similar to characters from this novel.

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About the book:

Can one summer mend a broken heart?

After the tragic loss of their 17-year-old son, journalist Alicia and surgeon Liam struggle to keep their marriage afloat. During their usual holiday to Åland, the Nordic islands where Alicia grew up, the rift between the couple deepens.

Enter tall, blonde Patrick, with the most piercing blue eyes Alicia has ever seen. When Patrick confides in Alicia about the near loss of his daughter and the breakdown of his marriage, Alicia is surprised to feel an affinity with the Swedish reporter. He’s the only person who understands Alicia.

But secrets held by people close to Alicia give her life another surprising turn and she finds there is a reason to live – and love – again.

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My Review:

The Island Affair is a story about loss and grief, about love and betrayal. It is a story about life.

When I first heard about The Island Affair (thanks to Anne Carter) I had a strong feeling this book would be perfect for me.
It’s been a while since I read good quality general fiction, and I craved for some!
This book came to my life just when I needed it.

I loved many things about this story, but what I liked the most was the setting. I think the author captured Nordic islands perfectly.
Even if I’ve never been there myself, the whole time I was reading The Island Affair I had a feeling I was somewhere else.

This novel felt like home to me, but not because I experienced something similar in my real life, but because it reminded me of a tv show I like to watch: The Affair.
Guys, I think that the same muse who visited creators of that show visited Helena Halme as well!
The similarities are undeniable, even though they are two different stories.
Maybe some readers will not be thrilled with that, but to me it was a plus.

The story is written in third person, following mostly Alicia’s perspective, but we do get rare chapters with other characters’ viewpoints.

The Island Affair has an interesting, unhurried plot, but it is mainly character driven story.
It explores people’s reactions in certain situations, their way to deal with emotions and the progress of healing and letting go.

As I already stated, it’s been a while since I read good story that explores emotions and inside worlds of people, and this novel reminded me why I love this type of stories.

The Island Affair is the first book in the series, and I would like to continue with it if the next book also follow the same characters.

four hearts

Sunday Post (Weekly Wrap Up March 11th-17th) #SundayPost #Bloggers #WrapUp #Reading

Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

This meme was created for bloggers to spotlight posts they published in the week, as well as to talk about what they plan to write in the week that’s coming.

Sunday post is also great opportunity to showcase books we got in the week behind us.

Hi Guys!

I feel like it’s been ages since the last time I did my Sunday Post.
There aren’t many good excuses to use in this case, except that I write my Sunday posts always on Sundays, and lately I had busy Sundays.

Anyway, this week was pretty… messed up I guess?

I was pretty depressive at the beginning of the week (to be honest, I was depressed last week too), but with each day I felt better and better.
I feel hopeful and motivated now, so don’t worry!
I think my depressive phases come from my hormonal disbalance.

In other news, I am slowly but surely making steps to rebranding Book Dust Magic, so this will no longer be book blog only, but also lifestyle blog, and I will cover different topics I feel passionate about.

If you wonder why I decided to do it, I will probably write a post about it pretty soon.

Last week on Book Dust Magic:

Monday: I took a part in the She Lies in Wait blog tour, and posted my review for this crime novel

Wednesday: I reviewed Written from the Heart by Trisha Ashley

Thursday: I took part in the Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop

Friday: I reviewed An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Next week on Book Dust Magic:

Upcoming reviews:

I will also talk about books that I plan to read this Spring.

Book Haul:

This week I was approved for the two books I requested via Netgalley:

Currently reading:

I am opening the blog tour for The Island Affair by Helena Halme next week (aka tomorrow) so I’ll be finishing this novel soon. If you wonder, it is really relaxing and beautiful prose.

Giveaway:

There’s a giveaway going on here on Book Dust Magic right now, and you can win yourself a book of choice. It is international, and you can enter here.

That is it!
Let me know what’s been going on with you, what you’ve been reading or watching this week and feel free to leave your links so I can visit you.
Have a lovely Sunday!