July 2018 – Page 3 – Jill's Book Blog

Sundays in Bed With… A Noise Downstairs

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I reading A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The New York Times bestselling author of No Time for Goodbyereturns with a haunting psychological thriller that blends the twists and turns of Gillian Flynn with the driving suspense of Harlan Coben, in which a man is troubled by odd sounds for which there is no rational explanation.

College professor Paul Davis is a normal guy with a normal life. Until, driving along a deserted road late one night, he surprises a murderer disposing of a couple of bodies. That’s when Paul’s “normal” existence is turned upside down. After nearly losing his own life in that encounter, he finds himself battling PTSD, depression, and severe problems at work. His wife, Charlotte, desperate to cheer him up, brings home a vintage typewriter—complete with ink ribbons and heavy round keys—to encourage him to get started on that novel he’s always intended to write.

However, the typewriter itself is a problem. Paul swears it’s possessed and types by itself at night. But only Paul can hear the noise coming from downstairs; Charlotte doesn’t hear a thing. And she worries he’s going off the rails.

Paul believes the typewriter is somehow connected to the murderer he discovered nearly a year ago. The killer had made his victims type apologies to him before ending their lives. Has another sick twist of fate entwined his life with the killer—could this be the same machine? Increasingly tormented but determined to discover the truth and confront his nightmare, Paul begins investigating the deaths himself.

But that may not be the best thing to do. Maybe Paul should just take the typewriter back to where his wife found it. Maybe he should stop asking questions and simply walk away while he can. . .

What book are you in bed with today?

Review: Baby Teeth

Title: Baby Teeth
Author: Zoje Stage
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sweetness can be deceptive.

Meet Hanna.

She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

Meet Suzette.

She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette’s husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.

Review:

This book was such a wild ride!

Hanna was so disturbing. I was actually scared when I read about the creepy things she would do. She tortured her mother in ways that weren’t always obvious. It’s hard to believe that a child could think up these ways to harm their parents. I can’t imagine going through something like that.

I had no idea how this book was going to end. It wasn’t a clear cut story where you know in general what will happen (for example in romances where the couple either gets together or not, or a mystery where the detective will find the killer). I didn’t know if everyone was going to die or live or some other unknown solution! I’ll admit I was surprised at the ending.

One strange thing about this book is that it has two different names. It is called Baby Teeth in North America, but it is called Bad Apple in the UK. I didn’t really understand why it is called Baby Teeth, but I can understand the Bad Apple reference, since Hanna really is a bad apple. If anyone knows the reasoning behind the different names I’d love to know!

I would love to see this story continued in a sequel! I highly recommend this book for a creepy thrilling read.

Owlcrate Unboxing- June 2018

This was my first Owlcrate and I’m so impressed! This was an amazing crate!

The book is From Twinkle, with Love. This is a special Owlcrate cover, which is so cool!!! The colours are different from the original cover, which makes it extra special. You can find my review for this book here.

This is an adorable mason jar mug. It’s hard to read it here, but it says “Book worm and proud.” That’s definitely true!

There was also a pen, bookmark, apple tea bags, a pin, and a popcorn keychain that goes with the book! I loved these goodies!

Just in time for summer, I got this awesome beach towel! I need to go to the beach just so I can use it!

I’m beyond excited about my first Owlcrate box! I signed up for a three month subscription because I got a discount at BookCon. I’m so glad I will be receiving this crate next month too!

Do you have an Owlcrate subscription? Did you get this box too? What did you think of it?

Review: Invisible Emmie

Title: Invisible Emmie
Author: Terri Libenson
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

This is the story of two totally different girls—quiet, shy, artistic Emmie and popular, outgoing, athletic Katie—and how their lives unexpectedly intersect one day when an embarrassing note falls into the wrong hands.

Review:

I really liked this book, until the ending.

It is a good comparison between a shy, quiet girl and the outgoing popular girl. However, I don’t think that Emmie’s position in the school would change so much in just one day. She experienced every emotion possible, from jealousy to anger and loneliness.

I found the ending super creepy! I’m going to spoil it here, so if you want to read the book, stop reading now. In the end, the popular girl, Katie, ended up being all in Emmie’s imagination! It’s like the cliche ending of “it was all a dream.” It turns out that Emmie sketched Katie and imagined her saying everything that Emmie couldn’t say. I was so disappointed in this because all along it seemed like Katie was a real person in the school!

I will admit the ending was surprising, but I found it creepy and strange too!

First Lines Friday – July 20

This is a weekly meme hosted by Wandering Words, where you give the first few lines of a book to hook your readers before introducing the book.

Here are my first lines:

“I wasn’t sure how it had happened. But Jesse Foster was kissing me. I was kissing him back, opening my eyes every few seconds to verify it was really, actually happening, to see the twinkle lights and garlands strung up around the basement, the Santa hat listing on the banister post, and sure enough, Jesse Foster above me, his hands in my hair, his brown eyes closed.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

…

And the book is… Save the Date by Morgan Matson.

Here’s the Goodreads synopsis:

Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.

The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.

There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.

There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.

Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.

Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.

I loved this book. You can find my review here. Have you read it?

Review: Herakles Book 1

Title: Herakles Book 1
Author: Edouard Cour
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Lion Forge
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Author Edouard Cour revisits one of the greatest Greek myths by painting the often-heroic Herakles as, well . . . somewhat of a jerk. Crude and stubborn at times, in little glimpses we meet a man—half-human, after all—with a psychology more complex than he appears, entangled in guilt over the ghosts who have haunted him since childhood. A mournful sadness seizes him as he crosses the fleeting silhouettes of a woman and her three children. “Friends or foe, all those who cross his path end up stiff and worm food,” comments Linos, the ghost of his childhood music teacher.

Brimming with pathos and dark humor, this portrait of Herakles is a graphic whirlwind leaving little respite and often revealing beautiful surprises.

Review:

I love Greek mythology, but the story of Heracles is one that I never read.

I think this book is meant for fans of the story, rather than new readers. I know the general story, that he had to do tasks, but not specifics. I was confused through most of the story, especially by all of the different characters. There was a glossary of characters at the end of the book, but it would have been much more helpful at the beginning.

Herakles wasn’t a likeable character at all. He was a jerk most of the time, and pretty gross. He also passed most of his tests by fluke, and without using much skill.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me.

TBR Thursday – July 19

TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.

My pick this week is The Last Magician (The Last Magician #1) by Lisa Maxwell.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Stop the Magician. Steal the book. Save the future.

In modern-day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives.

Esta is a talented thief, and she’s been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she’s there. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.

But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Review: My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies #1)

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Title: My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies #1)
Author: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Gift
Release Date: June 17, 2016
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Edward (long live the king) is the King of England. He’s also dying, which is inconvenient, as he’s only sixteen and he’d much rather be planning for his first kiss than considering who will inherit his crown…

Jane (reads too many books) is Edward’s cousin, and far more interested in books than romance. Unfortunately for Jane, Edward has arranged to marry her off to secure the line of succession. And there’s something a little odd about her intended…

Gifford (call him G) is a horse. That is, he’s an Eðian (eth-y-un, for the uninitiated). Every day at dawn he becomes a noble chestnut steed—but then he wakes at dusk with a mouthful of hay. It’s all very undignified.

The plot thickens as Edward, Jane, and G are drawn into a dangerous conspiracy. With the fate of the kingdom at stake, our heroes will have to engage in some conspiring of their own. But can they pull off their plan before it’s off with their heads?

Review:

I loved this book! It definitely lived up to the hype.

I loved how this history was similar to real history but slightly different. A few years ago, I read some Philippa Gregory books, and I loved the ones about the Tudors the best. The war between the Eðians (people who could turn into animals) and the Verities (people who didn’t think people should turn into animals) mimicked the real fight between Protestants and Catholics.

I liked the twists throughout the story. I could predict some of the things that happened, but some surprised me. Most things seemed like they could be real, but then someone would turn into a horse or bird and the scene would become comedic.

One thing that I picked up on right away was that G kept coming up with lines of poetry, which would later be in Shakespeare’s plays. You’ll just have to read the book to find out that connection.

There were many funny parts in this story. I laughed out loud quite a few times. This was a clever way to retell history with a fantasy spin.

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – July 18

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is Becoming Belle by Nuala O’Connor.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Based on the true story of a woman destined for stardom, and the boundary-crossing love affair that enthralled Victorian London.

In 1887, Isabel Bilton is the eldest daughter of a middle-class military family in a small garrison town. By 1891, she is the Countess of Clancarty, dubbed “the peasant countess” by the press, and a member of the Irish aristocracy. Becoming Belle is the story of the four years in between, of her rapid ascent and the people that tried to tear her down
With only her talent, charm, and determination, Isabel moves to London alone at age nineteen, changes her name to Belle and takes the city by storm. A true bohemian and the star of a double act she performs with her sister, she soon falls passionately in love with William, Viscount Dunlo, a young aristocrat. For Belle, her marriage to William is a dream come true, though his ruthless father makes it clear that he’ll stop at nothing to keep her in her place. As their marriage takes center stage in London’s courtrooms and in the newspapers, Belle finds herself on trial not only for her wedding vows, but for the very life she’s fought so hard to create.
An inherently feminist novel about passion and marriage, Becoming Belle is a celebration of an unstoppable woman ahead of her time.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: Bad Girls

Title: Bad Girls
Author: Alex de Campi, Victor Santos
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Gallery 13
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this heart-pounding, starkly colored, and visually stunning graphic novel, three women have twelve hours to get out of Cuba with six-million dollars on the night of New Year’s Eve 1958.

Gangster’s moll Carole, jazz singer Taffy, and mambo queen Ana all have their reasons for needing to escape the El Eden Casino in Havana. And on the tumultuous night of New Year’s Eve, when Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista flees the country and the nation falls to Fidel Castro, they get their chance…with the help of six suitcases filled with stolen dirty money. Of course, it’s one thing to get the cash…and quite another to get off the island alive.

From the Eisner-nominated writer Alex de Campi and virtuoso artist Victor Santos, this story of three strong and multifaceted women struggling to leave their pasts behind in a tension-filled getaway is timely, fast-paced, and gripping.

Review:

The description of this book makes it sounds like an Oceans Eleven-type heist. But it wasn’t quite like that. There was a lot of murder and politics involved.

I found many of the scenes confusing. The style was a little noir and a little art deco. The scenes were done in monochromatic colours with a lot of shadows, so it was hard to distinguish between characters unless you look very carefully. The men all looked alike and wore similar suits so I got them mixed up, but the women wore different dresses and had different hair styles so it was easy to differentiate between them.

There was a lot of tension in this book. There were some murders and an attempted rape. Some of these scenes were hard to read. There was also a lot of political upheaval in terms of the communists taking over Cuba.

Unfortunately, this book isn’t for me. It wasn’t the type of story I usually like, but I’m sure other readers will enjoy it.

Month: July 2018

Sundays in Bed With… A Noise Downstairs

Review: Baby Teeth

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

Owlcrate Unboxing- June 2018

Review: Invisible Emmie

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Positively Izzy by Terry Libenson

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

First Lines Friday – July 20

Review: Herakles Book 1

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Mythic, Volume 1 by Phil Hester, John McCrea

TBR Thursday – July 19

Review: My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies #1)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

Suitors and Sabotage by Cindy Anstey

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – July 18

Review: Bad Girls

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Mayday by Alex de Campi, Tony Parker, Blond

Smoke 1: Good Boys Grow Up To Be Soldiers by Alex de Campi, Igor Kordey