I'm Back + Most Anticipated Releases of 2024

It’s been a minute, but I’m returning from my annual break from the blog. Once again, Happy New Year!

So, what have I been up to?

I always tell myself I’m going to read a lot more during my breaks than I ever do, but during the holidays, I inevitably end up preoccupied by other things. Whether that’s with a TV series, movies, some form of arts and crafts, or video games. This time, I got into making miniatures. They were supposed to be for small unfinished snow globes, but I got overly ambitious and overestimated what I could do with the size constraints. I had maybe too much fun with that, since the project is ongoing and has followed me right into the New Year.

As for video games, I’m working my way through the last dungeon in Fae Farm as well as the remainder of its central story. This is a game I’ve really taken my time with, and I don’t have any plans to change the pace with how I engage with it. I’m also still playing Tears of the Kingdom. There’s just so much to explore, but I’m genuinely enjoying it.

So, what are my 2024 blog goals?

I don’t have any other goals this year, except to finish a couple of book series (especially the two that I already have the books for).

What upcoming books am I looking forward to?

I always try to keep my anticipated books list kind of short, because I know I’ll come across plenty of novels as the year progresses. What I am looking forward to is: The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden, The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo, The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo, Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue by Kate Pearsall, and Holly Horror: The Longest Night by Michelle Jabes Corpora.

What upcoming albums am I anticipating?

Like books, I know I’ll come across my albums later in the year. For now my list includes: Lana by SZA (sometime in 2024; deluxe version of SZA's 2022 album, SOS) Savior by Green Day (January 19), Girl with No Face by Allie X (February 23), Funk Generation by Anitta (Unscheduled), Into the Unknown by Nero (Unscheduled), and ORQUIDEAS by Kali Uchis (Already released; January 12, 2024).

What upcoming video games am I looking forward to?

Last, and certainly not least, I want to go over the video games coming out in 2024 that I’m most excited for. I primarily play on my Nintendo Switch Lite, so the games I’m going to mention consists of releases that will be available on that console.

Luigi’s Mansion HD (Luigi’s 2: This Dark Moon Nintendo Switch Port) is at the top of my list for 2024 video game releases. Even though I always wanted to play the original, I never did. So I’m very excited that it’s coming to the Switch. Another one is Princess Peach: Showtime! How many years has it been since Peach had her own game? And from the look of the trailer, it seems like it’s going to be an exciting game. As for indies, the two I’m watching for potential Switch releases is Moonlights Peaks, a vampire life-sim, and Camper Van: Make It Home, a decorating game.

So yeah, I’m looking forward to the year ahead. Happy reading!

Music Monday (268): Tinashe

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: Why hello, its been a while. First thing's first, Happy New Year! With that out of the way, I'm officially back from my break (more on that later/on a different upcoming blog post). While I was gone, I got back into Tinashe's music. She had a new album out in September of 2023, which sent me down a rabbit hole of gathering all my favorite songs of hers for my playlist. One of them is Spacetime. I love the general vibe of this song.

What are you listening to this week?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It's officially 2024. And, while we're not back to blogging just yet, we're getting some post prepared for later this month. Until then, happy reading!

 

Break Notice

It's time for our annual break from the blog. We'll still be around on Goodreads, to answer comments, and (maybe) on social media sites like Instagram. See you all in the New Year and, until then, happy reading!

The Cookie Book Tag (Batch 6; Solo Edition)

 

It's December 25th, so Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! And Happy Holidays to everyone else! I hope everyone has not only a great day but a safe one.

Today I'm going to participate in The Cookie Book Tag. It's the only book tag we do annually on Our Thoughts Precisely, because it's a fun way to look back at the books we've read. It's a year to the day since Batch 5. Adri usually participates but, this year, she's decided to skip it. Before we begin, here are the more technical details about the tag.

The Cookie Book Tag was created by Nicole @ Sorry, I’m Booked. And you can check out the original tag post here: Sorry, I’m Booked, The Cookie Book Tag.

The rules…

• Link back to the person who tagged you + the creator of this tag 
• Pick a book that corresponds with the cookies theme 
• Have fun 
• Tag 1-3 people

Chocolate Chip: A Classic Book That You Love or Really Enjoyed (interpret classic how you want, it can be a classic written 100 years ago or 20 years ago)

Breana: I have to go with The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett. I went back to the very beginning of the Discworld series this year since, previously, I had read a couple of the Tiffany Aching novels.

Thin Mints: A Fandom That You Really Want to ‘Join’ AND/OR a Hyped-Up Book You Want To Read (your source(s) of a book being hyped can be from anywhere)

Breana: A hyped book I want to read is Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell by Suzanna Clarke. I've heard nothing but good things about it, plus Piranesi is one of my all-time favorite books.

Shortbread: An Author You Can’t Get Enough Of

Breana: It's honestly a tie between Katherine Arden, Leigh Bardugo, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Nghi Vo. 

Samoas/ Caramel DeLites: An Emotional Rollercoaster (this cookie was hard … so any book that made you feel more than one emotion, strongly. The choice of emotions is up to you)

Breana: This one is easy: The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander. This book is dark, complex, and very sad. It's a tragedy that's inspired by the same history recounted in Radium Girls by Kate Moore. If you've read that book then you know what to expect from The Only Harmless Great Thing.

Oreos: A Book Whose Cover Was Better Than The Story OR Vice Versa, Where The Story Was Better Than Its Cover

Breana: I never really have a good answer for this question, because I don't typically judge books by their covers. If I had to choose one, it would In Search of Perfumes. It's nonfiction. The cover is nice, but, unfortunately, it just wasn't the right book for me in the end.

Tagalongs/ Peanut Butter Patties: A Book That Wasn’t What You Expected (good, bad, or just different, interpret how you wish)

Breana: Prior to reading Ninth House, I'd heard some stuff about it, so I wasn't sure if I would like it. But it ended up being one of the best books I read this year. So much so that I also read it's sequel, Hell Bent.

Snickerdoodles: A Book You May Never Stop Rereading/ Loving

Breana: I actually have a nonfiction book for this answer: The Cult of We by Eliot Brown and Maureen Farrell. It's such a good write up about what happened with WeWork. A couple of other books are Starling House by Alix E. Harrow and A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid. It hasn't been too long since I read them, but I already want to go back and reread them. 

Bonus: Choose a cookie I didn’t list and make up a question!

Our question from 2018: Monster Cookies have bold flavors and a long and varied list of ingredients such as M&Ms, chocolate chips, peanut butter, oats, and even sometimes raisins. It’s like a handful of cookie types mashed into one monster of a cookie. So… Monster cookie: name a book with a bold and whimsical title or a book title with four or more words.

Breana: I have a couple of books for this one: Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans; Bittersweet in the Hollow, Field of Screams, and Mammoths at the Gates.

That's it for today. We tag you to do the cookie book tag. If you're curious about our original take on the tag and our second, third, fourth, and fifth batch visit the posts HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.