I have several book reviews waiting to be posted, but it’s been a hot minute since I’ve done a book tag, and this one is fun. I blame Books are 42 for having fabulous answers. This tag was created by Princess of Paperback. If you decide to do it as well, please link back to me so I don’t miss seeing your answers. Here goes:

Laying in Bed: A Book You Could/Have Read in a Day- The Rome of Fall by Chad Alan Gibbs

After Marcus Brinks left mysteriously two decades ago, financial ruin and his dying mother brought him back to his hometown of Rome, Alabama. Brinks, the former lead singer of ’90s indie-rock band Dear Brutus, takes a job teaching at his old school, where years ago, he and his friend, Jackson, conspired to get Deacon, the starting quarterback and resident school jerk, kicked off the football team.

Now it’s Jackson, head coach of Rome, who rules the school like Caesar, while Deacon plots his demise. This time Brinks refuses to get involved, opting instead for a quiet life with Becca, his high school crush. But will dreams of domestic black go up in flames when the repercussion of the past meet the lying, cheating, and blackmail of the present? (taken from Amazon)

This book is so much fun! I loved every nostalgia-filled moment. You can find my review here.

Snacking: A Guilty Pleasure Book- The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

The reason I consider Cassandra Clare to be a guilty pleasure is that her books include everything that usually annoys the snot out of me: love triangles, angst-ridden teens, bad boys with hearts of gold…I could go on. So why do I love this series? Magnus.

Netflix: series you want to start- The Black Iron Legacy by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan

Enter a city of saints and thieves . . .
The city of Guerdon stands eternal. A refuge from the war that rages beyond its borders. But in the ancient tunnels deep beneath its streets, a malevolent power has begun to stir.
The fate of the city rests in the hands of three thieves. They alone stand against the coming darkness. As conspiracies unfold and secrets are revealed, their friendship will be tested to the limit. If they fail, all will be lost, and the streets of Guerdon will run with blood.
The Gutter Prayer is an epic tale of sorcerers and thieves, treachery and revenge, from a remarkable new voice in fantasy. (taken from Amazon)

              The first book in this series is The Gutter Prayer. I’ve heard amazing things about it and I’m mad at myself for not having read it yet.

Deep Clean: a book that’s been on your “to be read” list for ages-  The Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre

Four years ago, I lied. I stood in front of the police, my friends and family, and made up a story, my best one yet. And all of them believed me.

                       I’ve been wanting to read this book for the longest time. I just can’t find it when I’m physically at a bookstore and I don’t usually order books online. That’s changed recently, for obvious reasons, so hopefully I’ll get this one before too long.

Animal Crossing: a book you recently bought because of hype- I don’t usually buy books based on hype, but there are bookbloggers whose opinions I listen to. I bought High Fire based on The Irresponsible Reader’s recommendation. Have I read it yet? Um…

Productivity: A book you learned from, or that had an impact on you- Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

In Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher tells the true and intoxicating story of her life with inimitable wit. Born to celebrity parents, she was picked to play a princess in a little movie called Star Wars when only 19 years old. “But it isn’t all sweetness and light sabers.”

Alas, aside from a demanding career and her role as a single mother (not to mention the hyperspace hairdo), Carrie also spends her free time battling addiction, weathering the wild ride of manic depression and lounging around various mental institutions. It’s an incredible tale – from having Elizabeth Taylor as a stepmother, to marrying (and divorcing) Paul Simon, from having the father of her daughter leave her for a man, to ultimately waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed. (taken from Amazon)

Carrie Fisher was unapologetic and brave about her mental illness, which is something I aspire to. On tough days, this quote from Wishful Drinking is one I come to:

“One of the things that baffles me (and there are quite a few) is how there can be so much lingering stigma with regards to mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder. In my opinion, living with manic depression takes a tremendous amount of balls. Not unlike a tour of Afghanistan (though the bombs and bullets, in this case, come from the inside). At times, being bipolar can be an all-consuming challenge, requiring a lot of stamina and even more courage, so if you’re living with this illness and functioning at all, it’s something to be proud of, not ashamed of.
They should issue medals along with the steady stream of medication.”

Facetime: a book you were gifted-  A World Without Whom: The Essential Guide to Language in the Buzzfeed Age by Emmy J. Favilla 

A World Without “Whom” is Eats, Shoots & Leaves for the internet age, and BuzzFeed global copy chief Emmy Favilla is the witty go-to style guru of webspeak.

As language evolves faster than ever before, what is the future of “correct” writing? When Favilla was tasked with creating a style guide for BuzzFeed, she opted for spelling, grammar, and punctuation guidelines that would reflect not only the site’s lighthearted tone, but also how readers actually use language IRL.

With wry cleverness and an uncanny intuition for the possibilities of internet-age expression, Favilla makes a case for breaking the rules laid out by Strunk and White: A world without “whom,” she argues, is a world with more room for writing that’s clear, timely, pleasurable, and politically aware. Featuring priceless emoji strings, sidebars, quizzes, and style debates among the most lovable word nerds in the digital media world–of which Favilla is queen–A World Without “Whom” is essential for readers and writers of virtually everything: news articles, blog posts, tweets, texts, emails, and whatever comes next . . . so basically everyone. (taken from Amazon)

My husband gave this to me for Christmas. Since I’m hoping to one day join the world of book editing, this book (review found here)    was the perfect gift.

Self-care: what is one thing you’ve done recently to look after yourself- Um…I’m pretty low maintenance. Give me a half hour to read uninterrupted, and I’m good. I wouldn’t say no to some yummy coffee, though.

Bonus: name a book that is coming out soon-  The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton 

A murder on the high seas. A detective duo. A demon who may or may not exist.
It’s 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world’s greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Travelling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent.

But no sooner are they out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A twice-dead leper stalks the decks. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Livestock is slaughtered.

And then three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel.

Could a demon be responsible for their misfortunes?

With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent can solve a mystery that connects every passenger onboard. A mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board. (taken from Amazon)

It truly doesn’t matter to me what this book is about: I loved The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle so much that I’ll be excited to read anything by this author. That being said, the description sounds awesome. It won’t be out until much later in the year, but I’m incredibly excited.

Well, that’s it. I’m not tagging anyone here (although I might nag some people about it on Twitter), but I hope you take part. This one is fun!