Diva Down Books

Joe

Jul 27

I had an amazing time celebrating the release of A Forsaken Prophecy by Stacey McEwan at The Ripped Bodice!
I fell in love with Nina and Patrick last year when I read A Forbidden Alchemy, and I think I’m even more obsessed with them now. This was an amazing sequel that I was lucky enough to read early, and I’m so happy it’s officially out in the world.
If you haven’t started The Artisan Trilogy yet, what are you waiting for?! Pick it up already!
Below is a link to a video of some snippets from the event, which is exclusive for my bindery subscribers for one week before it hits YouTube! I hope you enjoy!

https://youtu.be/yjGZUF3hCGg
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Here are the books I read and my ratings:

Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim — 4.25⭐
The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin — 3⭐
A Forsaken Prophecy by Stacey McEwan — 4.25⭐
Fallen City by Adrienne Young — 3⭐
Funny Story by Emily Henry — 4.5⭐
Death’s Daughter by S.A. Barnes — 4⭐
Destiny’s Edge by M.L. Wang — 4.5⭐
Nemesis Mine by Amy Archer — 4⭐
A Dance of Burning Blades by M.H. Ayinde — 4.5⭐
When Dealing with Dragons by Dana Swift — 4⭐
The Score by Elle Kennedy — 3.5⭐
Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe — 4.25⭐

That’s all I’ve got! My July is action-packed, which I’m both excited and worried about. I love nothing more than staying home and reading, but I also love going out and doing fun, exciting things. See you next time!

Reflecting on June

Discussing all of the fun and exciting things that I accomplished in June!

Now that May is over, I wanted to reflect on the month and all of the exciting things I did. Because I accomplished a lot, I’m kinda gagged.

First and most importantly, I turned 29 in May! I can’t believe I’ll be 30 next year and I can’t wait to have an existential crisis about that at a later date. I had an amazing time celebrating with my friends and family. I’m not one to care about my birthday, but this was a good one that I’ll remember fondly.
One of the things I did for my birthday was spend the day in NYC with friends. I had three goals for this day: go to the MET to see the costuming exhibit, see Chess the Musical, and eat at Din Tai Fung. I’m happy to report that I completed all of my goals! Slay. The costuming exhibit was amazing. The theme for this year was "Costume Art," where they paired an article of clothing with a piece of art. A lot of the clothing provided commentary on abortion and female choice, and I thought the entire exhibit was rather profound and powerful. If you haven’t seen the exhibit, I suggest that you do before they take it down!

I've been wanting to see Chess the Musical since Lea Michele was cast because I'm a huge Glee stan. You bet I was front row when she was Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. Kirk was right when he said, "she may be difficult, but boy, can she sing." Man, did this show not disappoint. All three leads are incredible in their respective roles, and the show is SO funny. I laughed several times, you’re supposed to I promise.
Finally, to wrap up this perfect day, I ate at one of my favorite restaurants, Din Tai Fung. This might be a basic take, but I don’t care—the food SLAPS. My favorite food items to order are the spicy wontons and shrimp fried rice. I could eat bowls and bowls of both. Did I have to eat Din Tai Fung at 10:30 a.m. because that’s the only time I could get a reservation? Yes, and what about it? We love eating Din Tai Fung at 10 a.m. in this house!

At the beginning of the month, I got to attend an event for Fonda Lee to celebrate the release of her newest book, The Last Contract of Isako! I have a review of this book on TikTok, Insta, and Goodreads if you’d like to check it out, but long story short, I loved it! Fonda Lee is such an icon and such an intelligent person. I could hear her talk for hours on end. I was able to get my ARC and other books signed, and overall, it was an amazing evening!

I was also lucky enough to attend a ThrillerFest party hosted by Cosmo Reads and Sourcebooks! This was also how I learned that there is a book festival called ThrillerFest that is hosted every year in NYC. I can’t say that I read a lot of thrillers myself, but I’m definitely more intrigued by the genre now, especially with the books that I took home because they all sound like a slay. I shall come back and update you on how these books are in the fall.

My May summed up!

I didn’t realize how booked and busy I was, and honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing. I had a wonderful May, and I’m so excited to see where life takes me as we enter June.