November TBR + Xena Recommends

Hello everyone! Today is a bit of a different post as you can probably tell. I decided to combine my TBR with some of my recommendations because the books I plan to read this month are all in the same series. If I posted my TBR separately it would've been too short due to the fact that I would only be able to talk about the first book so as not to spoil the rest of the series. So, now that I've explained that let's get into the books. 

For my birthday, I received books 1-5 of the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas from my aunt Gigi. I was so excited because I've been meaning to read this series for a while, especially after reading and loving the ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas. Throne of Glass, which is book one in this series, is about an 18-year-old girl named Celaena Sardothien (a bit hard to pronounce but this will help) who, after serving out a year of hard labour in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her...but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined. 

Well... when I read that synopsis I was super intrigued, especially after all the hype that surrounds this series. Currently, I'm reading The Assassin's Blade which is a prequel to the series. It's basically a novella consisting of five short stories about Celaena and her adventures. It introduces her sassy and confident personality which you'll fall in love with pretty quickly. I'm on the third story right now and it's the best one so far. I just can't wait to finish and start Throne of Glass, especially if it's anything like The Assassin and the Desert (the third story in The Assassin's Blade). So, if this interests you definitely pick it up and tell me what you think.  

#1

My first recommendation is... to eat breakfast! But honestly, it is very important and a great start to your day. I used to eat 1 cup of Nature's Path Honey'd Corn Flakes with 1 cup of Natur-a Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk and it is sooo good. Nice and light but filling enough to last until lunch time. Recently, I've wanted to change it up so I went to a local healthy food store with my aunt and we purchased One Degree Veganic Sprouted Brown Rice Cacao Crisps and Nature's Path Flax Plus Vanilla Almond Granola. They taste incredible on their own but what I've been doing is combining them together! In the mornings, I fill my bowl halfway with the Cacao Crisps and add in a 1/2 cup of the Vanilla Granola on top and... *melts* They just taste amazing together. I would explain the flavour as a healthy Nestle Cocoa Puffs mixed with a vanilla granola bar. I love this "chocolate-y, vanilla-y goodness" and I would highly recommend to purchase these two and eat them separately and together. 

#2

I started this TV series in the summer and I've been obsessed with it ever since. The show is about a renowned country singer, Ranya James, who, after two decades of being the reigning queen of country music, is faced with pressure to adapt and reinvent herself to stay relevant. Insert Juliette Barnes, a sassy and sexy singer with a troubled past, who has her mind set on stealing Rayna's place at the top. Other characters in Nashville's music scene include a beautiful and gifted songwriter, Scarlett O'Connor, up-and-coming musician Gunnar Scott, conflicted country star Will Lexington, and Deacon Claybourne, a guitar player who has worked with Rayna since the beginning of her career. A TV show mixed with drama, romance, and music, is not only for people who love country but also for those who don't! Watch at least the first episode before you say no to this show. I too was questioning whether I would enjoy this because, although I like listening to some country music, I wouldn't call myself a die-hard fan. But this show makes me laugh, giddy, and emotional at points. So great and would highly recommend if you are looking to binge watch something on Netflix. 

#3

I have been listening to this song non-stop for the past week. I first heard it when I watched Me Before You and I just loved her voice. I checked out the soundtrack for the movie and I was so happy when I found this song. Cloves's voice is so beautiful and and you can really hear the emotion when she sings. She immediately reminded me of Adele because she has that huskiness to her voice that really accentuates the song. I also really love the music video for this song as well--the landscape and simplicity is just so soothing and compliments the song perfectly. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and check out the things I mentioned above. I hope you had a great week, have a Happy Friday, and a wonderful weekend.

love xena