hihi, my beautiful readers! welcome or welcome back to Simply Selina π
in case you didn’t read the title (which i really hope you read), in this post, I’ll be sharing some autumn/halloween wallpapers i created on the one and only Canva! π
well, enough blibber-blabber- let’s dive in!
hey, hey, hey! welcome or welcome back to Simply Selina! Today–as the title suggests– I’ll be sharing some of the books I borrowed from the library! π
without further ado, let’s jump into the post!
**blurbs are all from Goodreads
In a world where the children of the gods inherit their powers, a descendant of the Greek Fates must solve a series of impossible murders to save her sisters, her soulmate, and her city.
Descendants of the Fates are always born in threes: one to weave, one to draw, and one to cut the threads that connect people to the things they love and to life itself. The Ora sisters are no exception. Io, the youngest, uses her Fate-born abilities as a private investigator in the half-sunken city of Alante.
But her latest job leads her to a horrific discovery: somebody is abducting women, maiming their life-threads, and setting the resulting wraiths loose in the city to kill. To find the culprit, she must work alongside Edei Rhuna, the right hand of the infamous Mob Queenβand the boy with whom she shares a rare fate-thread linking them as soul mates before theyβve even met.
But the investigation turns personal when Io’s estranged oldest sister turns up on the arm of her best suspect. Amid unveiled secrets from her past and her growing feelings for Edei, Io must follow clues through the cityβs darkest corners and unearth a conspiracy that involves some of the cityβs most powerful playersβbefore destruction comes to her own doorstep.
First of all, I found the color scheme of the cover so intriguing?! The blurb makes this book sound really interesting as well… I’m excited π
She has a million followers on social media.
She uses her fashion-forward eye to pick the perfect angle and filter on every photo.
Sheβs iconic.
Sheβs a trend-setter.
Sheβs Marie Antoinette, the year is 3070, and sheβs arrived in the Franc Kingdom to marry the prince, secure an alliance, and rake in likes from her fans.
Versailles is not the perfect palace Marieβs seen on The Apps. Her life is a maze of pointless rules, and the court watches her every move for mistakes. Her shy husband Louis is more interested in horses and computer-hacking than producing heirs. Versailles seems like a dream full of neon-lit statues, handsome android soldiers, and parties till dawn. Under the surface, itβs a creepy den of secrets: surveillance in Marieβs bedroom, censored news feeds, disappearing courtiers.
When Marie and Louis become king and queen long before theyβre ready to rule, any efforts to aid their suffering subjects are stamped out by the mega-corporations of the First Estate. Between riots in Paris and image-wrecking social media firestorms, Marie canβt afford to lose her head. Using her social media savvy and Louisβ hacking knowledge, they try to fix their reputations and change their kingdom for the better, but the royals may find itβs already too late. Theyβre ruling over the end of an era.
Again, this color palette sjdfhni dfhziduyfnisruolojd I LOVE IT! I don’t remember the last book with such a bright cover like this, but I’m definitely not complaining about this one. Also can I just mention that I love sci-fi?
Itβs 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.
Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and agingβand allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption from her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.
Code name: Fortune.
But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalindβs mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalindβs new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.
To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orionβs cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.
I enjoyed These Violent Delights, so I have high hopes for Foul Lady Fortune as well. Also, a protagonist brought back from the dead? Assassin? Sounds good to me.
Elsie has a crush on Ada, the only person in the world who truly understands her. Unfortunately, they’ve never met in real life and Ada lives an ocean away. But Elsie has decided it’s now or never to tell Ada how she feels. That is, until her long-lost best friend Joan walks back into her life.
In a summer of repairing broken connections and building surprising new ones, Elsie realises that she isn’t nearly as alone as she thought. But now she has a choice to make…
I find the summary interesting… I’m excited to find out what happens!
In this prequel to #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon They Both Die at the End, two new strangers spend a life-changing day together after Death-Cast first makes their fateful calls.
Itβs the night before Death-Cast goes live, and thereβs one question on everyoneβs mind: Can Death-Cast actually predict when someone will die, or is it just an elaborate hoax?
Orion Pagan has waited years for someone to tell him that heβs going to die. He has a serious heart condition, and he signed up for Death-Cast so he could know whatβs coming.
Valentino Prince is restarting his life in New York. He has a long and promising future ahead and he only registered for Death-Cast after his twin sister nearly died in a car accident.
Orion and Valentino cross paths in Times Square and immediately feel a deep connection. But when the first round of End Day calls goes out, their lives are changed foreverβone of them receives a call, and the other doesnβt. Though neither boy is certain how the day will end, they know they want to spend it togetherβ¦even if that means their goodbye will be heartbreaking.
Told with acclaimed author Adam Silveraβs signature bittersweet touch, this story celebrates the lasting impact that people have on each other and proves that life is always worth living to the fullest.
I loved They Both Die at the End, and I have a feeling that this prequel will be equally as awesome. π€© Also, I love the tiny details in the cover! There’s like a Grim Reaper sitting on the top of the bridge(?) and I remember the shadows of the characters on the They Both Die at the End cover resembling the shape of it as well. Very cool.
New York City, 1922. NicolΓ‘s Caraveo, a 17-year-old transgender boy from Minnesota, has no interest in the cityβs glamor. Going to New York is all about establishing himself as a young professional, which could set up his futureβand his life as a manβand benefit his family.
Nick rents a small house in West Egg from his 18-year-old cousin, Daisy Fabrega, who lives in fashionable East Egg near her wealthy fiancΓ©, Tomβand Nick is shocked to find that his cousin now goes by Daisy Fay, has erased all signs of her Latina heritage, and now passes seamlessly as white.
Nickβs neighbor in West Egg is a mysterious young man named Jay Gatsby, whose castle-like mansion is the stage for parties so extravagant that they both dazzle and terrify Nick. At one of these parties, Nick learns that the spectacle is all for the benefit of impressing a girl from Jayβs pastβDaisy. And he learns something else: Jay is also transgender.
As Nick is pulled deeper into the glittery culture of decadence, he spends more time with Jay, aiming to help his new friend reconnect with his lost love. But Nick’s feelings grow more complicated when he finds himself falling hard for Jay’s openness, idealism, and unfounded faith in the American Dream.
I have read a bunch of retellings of famous classics and have enjoyed pretty much all of them! For some reason, I usually read the retelling before the original story π
What do you think? Have you read any of these books before? Let’s chat in the comments!
Ciao~
Well, look who decided to show up today?
In case you couldn’t tell, that was a heh-let’s-not-talk-about-the-fact-that-i-disappeared-for-five-months-because-this’ll-be-very-awkward type of smile-
o(*οΏ£β½οΏ£*)o
But anyway, I wanted to check back in after such a long time gone.
School’s started, and I’ve been busy with school stuff! Recently, I made my school’s XC team, which is exciting but also… so exhausting sometimes π₯΄
However, it’s really nice being able to hang out with my friends again after the majority of the summer apart! And of course, making some new ones as well!
I typically listen to music while doing homework and it makes the process a lot more enjoyable, haha! Some of my favorite artists at the moment include Conan Gray, Anson Seabra, JVKE, and Lyn Lapid.
School talk aside though, autumn vibes are in! I think I’ll be writing a post with autumn-y themed wallpapers. Ooh, or Halloween-themed! π
My blogiversary also passed on the 1st of September! I should probably write something on that as well… π
This is my 5th year on WordPress, I believe! Whoa, I feel so old all of a sudden π€ͺ
How have you all been? I can’t wait to connect with all of you in the comments~
Ciao~
hihi! welcome or welcome back to simply selina! today’s post is something I’ve never tried before… using ai to write a blog post about… earth day? let’s see how this turns out! now, without further ado, let’s get into the post!
Hey there! It’s Earth Day! Today is the day where we celebrate and show some love to our planet. I think it’s so important to take care of the earth so it can take care of us in return. ππ
There are so many things we can do to help the earth, like using reusable water bottles, recycling, and turning off lights when we’re not using them. It may not seem like a big deal, but these small actions can make a big difference.
Check out this picture of a cute little turtle. Did you know that plastic bags can harm turtles and other marine animals? So, using a reusable bag can help keep them safe and happy.
Seriously, Earth Day is a reminder that we need to be responsible and take action to protect our planet. Let’s all do our part to make sure that future generations can enjoy the beauty of the earth just like we do.
So, let’s all take a moment to appreciate the beautiful planet we call home and do our best to keep it healthy and happy. Happy Earth Day, everyone!
wow.
for some reason, the first thing I thought of when I read the generated response was: i didn’t realize it would use EMOJIS!
i know, i know, it’s random, but c’mon, i was surprised, okay?
do you think that you’d be able to tell the difference between my writing style and what artificial intelligence generated if the two were put side by side? let’s chat in the comments!
happy earth day! β¨
Ciao~
Hihi, my friends!
Today I’ll be doing the Last, Now, Next book tag, nominated by Amaya ages ago π
Thanks, Amaya! Sorry for taking forever to actually do the tag- π₯΄
Now, without further ado, let’s get into the post!
Rules:
What was the last book you read?
I believe my last read was Stellarlune by Shannon Messenger! It’s the 9th book of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series!
Did this book meet your expectations?
I felt like this book was more of a filler–not a lot of major action happened. There were a few nice scenes, but overall it was mediocre. I’ve read better KOTLC books, for sure.
Will you recommend this book to others?
I feel like KOTLC fans would still like it, and it’s probably still needed to be read to make the rest of the story make sense, so it’s kind of a 50/50.
What is your current read?
Scythe by Neal Shusterman!
Why did you pick this book?
A friend recommended this book to me, and I thought I’d give it a try!
How much time do you think youβll take to finish your current read?
Hmm… currently my reading speed is VERY unpredictable! π€£ I feel like I might be able to finish it in… 2-3 days?
What genre would you like to read next?
YA romance perhaps? My latest library haul consists of mainly that genre… though I do have a few fantasy books too…
What would you like to pick: a long read or a short read?
I honestly wouldn’t mind! As long as I end up enjoying it in the end, anything would be worth it!
Mention some books youβre eyeing!
Nominations:
I tag you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you…
…you, you, you, you, you, and you!
That’s it for now, I hope you enjoyed!! See you in the post!
Ciao~
Simply Selina 