April Favorites

Hello!

So I thought I would post on here (as well as Instagram on the 30th) my favorites from this month! I'll be dividing this into five categories: books, entertainment, music, beauty, and a random pick. Since this month is practically over for me, I am going to post this a few days early, because I won't really have time starting this week. So here we go!

Books

My TBR list for Aprik was a bit smaller than I'd like to admit, but I did tackle my way through some good ones this month. I'm not going to review them all on here -I have a GoodReads account for that- but I am going to list my top three from this month with a small review with it. 

3. A Young Woman by Paul Bodin

Let me start off by saying I bought this book out of a used section in one of my favorite book shops. I had no idea what it was about until I started reading it. It follows a young girl's life as she explains why she refuses to conform to the society standards women had at her time. (NOTE: this book was published in the late 60s if that says anything)  I was blown away with the writing style, and the incorporation of interview-style dialogue to explain the beginning of the book. Total 4.5/5. 

2. Million Dollar Road by Amy Conner

I found this book to be refreshing and relatable. A girl goes from small farm to making it big on her own. I've had this book on my shelf for about a year, and I decided it was time to crack it about and see what it was really about. I was glad I did. Definite 4.5/5. 

1. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

THIS BOOK. I cannot stress enough how much I absolutely ADORE this duology. The pacing, the writing style, the character development, every character's diversity in their narrations, EVERYTHING about this book is fantastic. I highly recommend this book to anyone who asks. This is the second book of the duology, Six of Crows being the first. This is the story of a group of unlikely teens banding together to pull off an impossible heist, seeking their fortune and make major bank. Unfortunately, they're cheated out of this money. So the second book follows their revenge plot to make sure they get their reward. I will forever rave about how amazing this book is! 5/5. 

Entertainment

Since I don't watch TV really, I'm going to list the two shows I've been watching and really enjoying off Netflix. 

2. The Office

I love snuggling in bed and watching one or two episodes of this before bed. It's so funny and simple, and the characters are so unique from one another that you can't get bored of them. Dwight seriously either cracks me up or annoys me, and there's no between. Currently I'm only on season one still, but I'm trying to get through them as fast as possible!

1. Voltron: Legendary Defender

THIS SHOW HAS EVERYTHING. It's a DreamWorks animation, but I personally don't think it's fit for kids. Older kids to teens, really. I remember watching the original Voltron and LOVING IT, and this revival is everything I've ever wanted in a space adventure. I love how diverse and uniquely funny the characters are, the angst of them and how relatable their back stories can be, and how it's not always happy. Actually, most of the episodes end pretty solemn. My favorite character is Keith, for sure! I've finished both seasons of this show, and eagerly awaiting the third! 

Music

I've been enjoying a wider spectrum of music this month, and I was not disappointed with what I found! I'm going to list three new songs I found this month, from three different genres. 

3. Mister, Mister by Bronze Radio Return

Anyone who knows me well knows BRR is my favorite band. This song is actually an older one from an album I never listened to all the way, and it's pretty good! The beat is what drew me in. And his voice, of course!

2. Shape of You by Ed Sheeran

I've loved Ed from day one, and this song is nothing like he's done before and it is PHENOMENAL. I've been playing this song on repeat for the past week and a half!

1. Waving Through a Window from Dear Evan Hansen the Musical

My best friend got me addicted to this show, and this is the second song in it. It's super relatable, and I love the raw emotion Ben Platt has whenever he sings. The ending is my absolute fav! 

Beauty

I really only have one favorite for beauty this month, but next month I'll try harder to find this to review!

1. Anew Clean Toner from Avon

I use this toner every time I wear makeup, and since using it I can tell a difference! It keeps my makeup smoother, and it's easier to take off at night! I highly recommend this product to people who have pores that like to eat makeup like mine. 

Random Pick of the Month

This is one item I favorited for this month that doesn't fit any of the categories. 

1. Pigma Micron 05 in Royal Blue

I write my notes for school and in my writing journal with these pens, and specifically the blue one. I love how smooth and sleek they write, and how the color pops but doesn't bleed through the the page easily. I loved this specific color and size of this pen that I went out and bought a singular one of it!

~So there you have it, my favorites for April. I hope you enjoyed! 

10 Favorites Book Tag

Feb. 20, 2017

1. Current favorite book?

The Patriot's Reference.

2. Least favorite book of all time?

This is hard...probably New Moon by Stephanie Meyer.

3. Favorite series?

For the sake of branching to new answers, I'm going to say the Percy Jackson series.

4. Favorite quote from a recent book?

"Trickery is not my native tongue, but I may learn to speak it yet." -Matthias, from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.

5. Favorite classic?

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

6. Favorite book turned movie?

Lord of The Rings, for sure.

7. How many books have you read this year that you'd call a favorite?

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo easily. They're so amazing!

8. Favorite genre?

Adventure and Fantasy (now!).

9. Least favorite genre?

Romance. I hate straight romance books. Such a bore.

10. Favorite bookish thing (that isn't a book) you own?

My Totoro book stop plushie! It's so cute!!

10 Bookish Facts about Me

Feb. 17, 2017

1. I've always loved reading, since I was little and just started learning to read.

2. I have six bookshelves in my room.

3. I think I'm a pretty fast reader, if I truly, truly, like the book I can read 60-70 pages an hour.

4. I do most of my reading at night, so it's quiet and relaxing.

5. I don't have an Ultimate favorite book.

6. I don't have an Ultimate favorite series.

7. I read Harry Potter in elementary school and have never read it again, I loved it but I don't think I could re-read them right now.

8. My TBR lists are always a minimum of five books to push myself to read more.

9. My main bookshelf has a full shelf of manga.

10. Recently I've been reintroduced to YA Fantasy and I really enjoy it now.

The Book Courtship Tag

Feb. 16, 2017

1. Initial Attraction: a book that you bought because of the cover. 

I do this all the time, and it's not a good habit to have! The most recent I've bought with this...method...was Nobody Wanted War by Ralph K. White.

2. First Impressions: a book that you got because of the summary. 

My favorite book that I bought because of its summary is definitely Home Front by Kristin Hannah.

3. Sweet Talk: a book with great writing. 

This is a hard one...but I'll go with The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I love that book dearly, it's easily one of my all-time favorite classics.

4. First Date: a book series which made you want to peruse the rest of the series. 

There are SO MANY to choose from for this!! I'm going to list three, in no particular order.
Asylum by Madeline Roux
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

5. Late Night Phone Calls: a book that kept you up all night long. 

Since I do most of my reading at night, technically all book keep me up. But Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo had me hooked reading until a solid 4am on a Wednesday.

6. Always on My Mind: a book that you could not stop thinking about. 

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. That book is etched in my mind because I love it so much.

7. Getting Physical: a book in which you love the way it feels.

No doubt in this one. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The paperback books have raised titles and it feels SO COOL.

8. Meeting the Parents: a book in which you would recommend to friends and family. 

I'm going to list five stand-alones for this.
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius
Home Frint by Kristin Hannah
The Book Thief by Markus Zusac
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (of course)

9. Thinking about the Future: a book or series that you plan to re-read in the future. 

So here's my list of planned re-reads for Summer 2017:
The Asylum Series by Madeline Roux
The Daniel X Series by James Patterson
The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness

The Book Blogger Confessions Tag

Feb. 14th, 2017

1. Which book, most recently, did you not finish?

So I hate not finishing books, but I seriously didn't finish The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth.

2. Which book is your guilty pleasure? 

Either Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen or Asylum by Madilene Roux.

3. Which book do you love to hate?

The Emerald Atlas. I despise that book. I don't even remember who it's by.

4. Which book would you throw into the sea?

City of Bones, and I'm not even sorry.

5. Which book have you read the most?

Either The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien or The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

6. Which book would you hate to receive as a present?

Anything written by Cassandra Clare. I'm sorry, but I don't like her writing style.

7. Which book could you not live without?

There's so many...but I'm going to go with either Home Front by Kristin Hannah or Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.

8. Which book has made you the angriest?

The ending of The Knife of Never Letting Go. I was emotionally unprepared for it.

9. Which book made you cry the most? 

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, of course.

10. Which cover do you hate the most?

I hate any cover that has pictures of real people on them, because it's creepy and if that's what the character is supposed to look like it's less fun being imaginative reading about them, because you conjure them up in your mind.