Where Is Your Bookmark? (Once Upon a Bad Boy & 2020 Reading Challenges & Goals)

Along with my mini reviews, I am linking to both Book Beginnings, a meme in which readers share the first sentence of a book they are reading, hosted by Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader and Friday 56 hosted by Freda of Freda's Voice, in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading.

This is the last of my reviews for my 2019 reads. I thought I would share a couple of snippets with you and my thoughts on the book.

Once Upon a Bad Boy (Sometimes in Love #3) by Melonie Johnson
St. Martin's Press, 2019
Romance; 383 pgs
Source: NetGalley

Book Beginnings:

Sprinkles. Sadie Goldovitz braced her feet on the mat, bent her knees slightly and twisted sideways, pulling her elbow back. No,Glazed.

Friday 56 (excerpt from 56%):

"Ugh, you don't get it! The tabloid people, they're not concerned with facts. Exhibit A, my invisible book job! And the people who like to read these stories aren't interested in facts either. All they need to do is skim a clickbait headline and bam, their mind is made up."

"Who cares?"

"I do! What people think of me matters. It matters to me, and it matters to my career." 

My thoughts:
The last person doughnut-loving actress Sadie Goldovitz expected to have to see again is her ex-boyfriend, Bo Ibarra. He was the love of her life and then he broke her heart, dumping her on prom night. Now he is the stunt coordinator on the movie that Sadie hopes will propel her career to a new level. Bo himself has something to prove as well. Both Bo and Sadie are carrying past hurts and secrets that perhaps it is time to finally face. Can they put the past behind them and give into the love they still feel for each other?

Melonie Johnson has fast become one of my favorite romance novelists. I was first introduced to Sadie in the first book of the series, Getting Hot With a Scot, and she made an appearance in the second book, Smitten by the Brit, as well. I admit I put off reading this one a little longer simply because I am not big on celebrity heroines, but I am so glad I finally did. I should have known Johnson wouldn't let me down. With her usual smart and witty writing style, taking on a relevant and difficult topic, Johnson  has written another winner for me. I loved Sadie's confidence and compassion. She doesn't let much get her down, and always pulls herself back up when it does. She and Bo are well matched. If you are a reader of romance, I highly recommend you check out Melonie Johnson's novels.

Does this sound like something you would like? 

Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

Do you have a reading challenge for 2020? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

I used to go hog wild when it came to challenges, but I stepped back from them because it got to be too much. I already have so many commitments, why add to them? I am very much a mood reader and enjoy the freedom to choose what I want to read when I want to read it. At the same time, I love the community aspect that often comes with joining a challenge, and sometimes it's a great way to motivate myself to work on personal reading goals I would like to achieve. Read more poetry. Read more nonfiction. Read more of my TBR books. It can be a way to hold myself accountable. In the end these types of goals or challenges are just for fun. If I complete them, I can pat myself on the back. If I do not, that's perfectly okay--it's not like my life depends on it.

This year I joined two.

 I am already planning to read more poetry this year, and so the Poetry Reading Challenge hosted by Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit seems like a natural fit. It will help motivate me to get to some of those poetry collections that are sitting on my TBR mountain. The challenge offers three options, and I am committing to the second, to read at least one poetry collection and share my self-reflections about one or more of the poems I read from it, although I hope to read more than just one (which would be option three).

I have long enjoyed reading poetry, but sometimes find it a bit intimidating, afraid I might miss some hidden meaning in the words. Poetry is very much about the feelings it provokes in the reader (and writer), however, and that is what I try to focus on when I read it.

If you could see how many nonfiction books I have sitting on my shelf . . . Nonfiction is not my go to genre, but I do enjoy it when I read it. I just sometimes need a little push. I really want to get to Becoming and Being Mortal this year, for example. And how long has The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks been sitting unread on my shelf? So why not join the 2020 Nonfiction Reader Challenge hosted by Shelleyrae of Book'd Out? I am only entering the lowest of challenge categories, the Nonfiction Nipper, where I have to read at least three nonfiction books during the year. If I read more, great. If I only read the three, I met my goal!


As you can see, I am leaving myself quite a bit of wiggle room in both challenges. I want to keep it fun and keep the pressure light. The best of both worlds!

Are you taking part in any reading challenges this year?

Every Tuesday Heidi at Rainy Day Rambling hosts Tell Me Something Tuesday, leading a discussion about a topic of her choice. As you can see though, it is not Tuesday, but Friday. But I wanted to play along just the same. 

What is your word or phrase for 2020? 

It was a couple of years ago or so when I decided to give the whole one word or phrase a try. I felt fairly strongly about the word I chose, but ended up forgetting about it entirely within a few months. My intentions were good, but my focus and follow-through not so much. Just for the fun of it, I took a quiz someone had posted on Facebook that was to choose my favorite word for me in December. At the time, I was feeling quite exhausted and a bit overwhelmed, and I was still recovering. I am not adopting a word or phrase for this year, but if I was to, the answer I got when I took the quiz would definitely be a good candidate. Those who read my year in review post might remember me mentioning it there. Rest. Who would have thought the algorithm of an internet quiz would pop out the one word that perhaps I needed to hear most in that moment?  At least as a reminder to remember to throw in some self-care--namely rest--now and then.

I think though, what I really want to do is to be kinder to myself. Stop giving myself a hard time when I reach my limit and recognize that it's okay that I cannot do all the things all the time. To not feel guilty when I do take a break or do something just for me--even when there are other things that could use tending to (because there is always something, isn't there?). And to be kinder with myself when my anxiety sets in and I am overthinking things. So, perhaps I do have a phrase for the New Year after all.

Did you take on a word or phrase for 2020? If so, what is it? Or perhaps you have a goal you want to work on this year? 


 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!

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