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’m reading The Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Mean Girls meets The Tudors in Hannah Capin’s The Dead Queens Club, a clever contemporary YA retelling of Henry VIII and his wives (or, in this case, his high school girlfriends). Told from the perspective of Annie Marck (“Cleves”), a 17-year-old aspiring journalist from Cleveland who meets Henry at summer camp, The Dead Queens Club is a fun, snarky read that provides great historical detail in an accessible way for teens while giving the infamous tale of Henry VIII its own unique spin.
What do a future ambassador, an overly ambitious Francophile, a hospital-volunteering Girl Scout, the new girl from Cleveland, the junior cheer captain, and the vice president of the debate club have in common? It sounds like the ridiculously long lead-up to an astoundingly absurd punchline, right? Except it’s not. Well, unless my life is the joke, which is kind of starting to look like a possibility given how beyond soap opera it’s been since I moved to Lancaster. But anyway, here’s your answer: we’ve all had the questionable privilege of going out with Lancaster High School’s de facto king. Otherwise known as my best friend. Otherwise known as the reason I’ve already helped steal a car, a jet ski, and one hundred spray-painted water bottles when it’s not even Christmas break yet. Otherwise known as Henry. Jersey number 8.
Meet Cleves. Girlfriend number four and the narrator of The Dead Queens Club, a young adult retelling of Henry VIII and his six wives. Cleves is the only girlfriend to come out of her relationship with Henry unscathed—but most breakups are messy, right? And sometimes tragic accidents happen…twice…
Title: The Golden Tresses of the Dead (Flavia de Luce #10) Author: Alan Bradley Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction Publisher: Doubleday Canada Source: Publisher Format: Hardcover Release Date: January 22, 2019 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Although it is autumn in the small English town of Bishop’s Lacey, the chapel is decked with exotic flowers. Yes, Flavia de Luce’s sister Ophelia is at last getting hitched, like a mule to a wagon. “A church is a wonderful place for a wedding,” muses Flavia, “surrounded as it is by the legions of the dead, whose listening bones bear silent witness to every promise made at the altar.”
Flavia is not your normal twelve-year-old girl. An expert in the chemical nature of poisons, she has solved many mysteries, sharpening her considerable detection skills to the point where she had little choice but to turn professional. So Flavia and dependable Dogger, estate gardener and sounding board extraordinaire, set up shop at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, eager to serve—not so simple an endeavor with her odious little moon-faced cousin, Undine, constantly underfoot. But Flavia and Dogger persevere. Little does she know that their first case will be extremely close to home, beginning with an unwelcome discovery in Ophelia’s wedding cake: a human finger.
Review:
I didn’t know what to expect from this book, since it’s the 10th in a series and I haven’t read any of the others. It was so good! The Boston Globe described Flavia as Eloise meets Sherlock Holmes, and I think that’s a perfect description of her.
Flavia is a great character. She’s a twelve-year-old who loves chemistry and solving crime. Along with her family’s butler, Dogger, she sets out on solving murders. Though Flavia is mature since she is solving the crimes in her small English town, she is still a kid. She personifies her bicycle, called Gladys. That gives her an innocence and reinforces the fact that she’s still a little girl. Though she’s a child, the subject of this book is for adults, not kids.
The ending of the story was good. Some clues were left unsolved, however I think this makes it realistic rather than unfinished. In real life, not every clue will lead to the solution, so I think this is reflected in the end of this mystery.
I loved this book and I will definitely read more books in this series!
What to read next:
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce #1) by Alan Bradley
The Grave’s a Fine and Private Place (Flavia de Luce #9) by Alan Bradley
Have you read The Golden Tresses of the Dead? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
I was approved for 2 books on NetGalley from Harlequin TEEN:
The Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin
Corpse and Crown by Alisa Kwitney
I was approved for one book from Second Story Press:
The Mozart Girl by Barbara Nickel
Thank you Harlequin TEEN and Second Story Press for these books!
Title: The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel Author: Rick Riordan, Robert Venditti Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Source: Library Format: Ebook Release Date: October 12, 2010 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
You’ve read the book. You’ve seen the movie. Now submerge yourself in the thrilling, stunning, and action-packed graphic novel. Mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking out of the pages of twelve-year-old Percy Jackson’s textbooks and into his life. And worse, he’s angered a few of them. Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now, he and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus’s stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. Series creator Rick Riordan joins forces with some of the biggest names in the comic book industry to tell the story of a boy who must unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.
Review:
This is a great graphic novel adaptation of The Lightning Thief. I read the first two books in the Percy Jackson series a couple of years ago, so I wanted to read the graphic novels to refresh myself before I continue with the rest of the series.
This graphic novel is a great way for kids to read the stories. I studied Greek mythology in university, so I was already familiar with the characters before I read The Lightning Thief. It could be confusing for kids who are just being introduced to these characters, because they have detailed histories that were created thousands of years ago. Being able to see the story take place in the images could make the story easier for reluctant readers to understand.
Some of the smaller battles were cut out of the book, which made it a pretty short graphic novel. This was great for me, since I just wanted to read through it to remind myself of the stories. However, this adaptation doesn’t replace the novel because some parts were summarized or left out for the graphic novel.
What to read next:
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan
The Sea of Monsters: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan, Robert Venditti
Have you read The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel? What did you think of it?
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:
“It wasn’t swift. It took some time. I try to chart when my woes began. That’s what my mother calls them: woes. A quiet word, easy to bear. This is a cusp, I remembered thinking as I swallowed what I’d been given. My fate was predetermined and I needed only to see how it would play out.”
Do you recognize these first lines?
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And the book is… Still Mine (Still #1) by Amy Stuart.
Goodreads synopsis:
The Girl on the Train meets The Silent Wife in this taut psychological thriller.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU VANISH FROM YOUR LIFE AND LEAVE NO STORY BEHIND?
SOMEONE WILL MAKE ONE UP FOR YOU.
Clare is on the run.
From her past, from her ex, and from her own secrets. When she turns up alone in the remote mining town of Blackmore asking about Shayna Fowles, the local girl who disappeared, everyone wants to know who Clare really is and what she’s hiding. As it turns out, she’s hiding a lot, including what ties her to Shayna in the first place. But everyone in this place is hiding something from Jared, Shayna’s golden-haired ex-husband, to Charlie, the charming small-town drug pusher, to Derek, Shayna’s overly involved family doctor, to Louise and Wilfred, her distraught parents.
Did Shayna flee? Was she killed? Is it possible she’s still alive?
As Clare uncovers the mysteries around Shayna’s disappearance, she must confront her own demons, moving us deeper and deeper into the labyrinth of lies and making us question what it is she’s really running from. Twisting and electrifying, this is a get-under-your-skin thriller that will make you question what it means to lose yourself and find yourself in the most unlikely places.
Have you read Still Mine? What did you think of it?
Title: No One Here Is Lonely Author: Sarah Everett Genre: Young Adult Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books Source: Publisher Format: Paperback Release Date: January 22, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Our entire lives are online, but what if the boy you love actually lives there? For fans of Adam Silvera comes a story about the future of relationships.
Eden has always had two loves: her best friend, Lacey, and her crush, Will. And then, almost simultaneously, she loses them both. Will to a car accident and Lacey to the inevitable growing up and growing apart.
Devastated by the holes they have left in her life, Eden finds solace in an unlikely place. Before he died, Will set up an account with In Good Company, a service that uploads voices and emails and creates a digital companion that can be called anytime, day or night. It couldn’t come at a better time because, after losing Lacey–the hardest thing Eden has had to deal with–who else can she confide all her secrets to? Who is Eden without Lacey?
As Eden falls deeper into her relationship with “Will,” she hardly notices as her real life blooms around her. There is a new job, new friends. Then there is Oliver. He’s Lacey’s twin, so has always been off-limits to her, until now. He may be real, but to have him, will Eden be able to say goodbye to Will?
Review:
This is a great story with a unique premise.
In this story, there is a service called In Good Company, where people can donate their voice so that loved ones can continue to speak to them after they have died. In one way, it would be nice to still speak to the person who you’ve lost, but at the same time, it isn’t actually the same as the person. It is a computer generated voice, so they do not have the same memories as the person.
So many parts of this story were heartbreaking. Eden had difficult relationships with everyone in the story. She was in turmoil because the boy she had always loved had died. She couldn’t rely on her family or friends for the first time in her life. Unfortunately, she used Will’s voice to cope with this. That turned out to be a bad thing, because he wasn’t the real Will.
Though most of the story was slightly uncomfortable because Eden was speaking to a computer, the ending was full of tension. There were giant reveals in the last few chapters that were shocking. I really liked the ending.
I loved this story!
What to read next:
Everyone We’ve Been by Sarah Everett
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Have you read No One Here Is Lonely? What did you think of it?
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 One Dark Throne (Three Dark Crowns #2) by Kendare Blake.
Goodreads Synopsis:
The battle for the Crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail?
With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent.
In this enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake’s New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn’s deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Title: The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde (The Princess in Black #3) Author: Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and LeUyen Pham Genre: Children’s Publisher: Candlewick Press Source: Library Format: Ebook Release Date: February 9, 2016 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
It’s a case of monstrous cuteness as the Princess in Black encounters her biggest challenge yet: a field overrun by adorable bunnies.
Princess Magnolia and her unicorn, Frimplepants, are on their way to have brunch with Princess Sneezewort, an occasion Frimplepants enjoys more than anything in the world. But just when he can smell the freshly baked bread and the heaping platters of sugar-dusted doughnuts, Princess Magnolia’s glitter-stone ring rings. The monster alarm! After a quick change in the secret cave, Princess Magnolia and Frimplepants are transformed into the Princess in Black and her faithful pony, Blacky. But when they get to the goat pasture, all they can see is a field full of darling little bunnies nibbling on grass, twitching their velvet noses, and wiggling their fluffy tails. Where are the monsters? Are these bunnies as innocent as they appear?
Review:
This book is by far my favourite in the Princess in Black series! It was hilarious.
When the Princess’s monster alarm rings this time, she is on the way to brunch with her friend, so she can’t use her closet to turn into the Princess in Black. She must use a secret tunnel to transform. Much to her surprise, the “monsters” are a bunch of bunnies in the goat field! Though they are cute and snuggly, they are very destructive.
This story was so funny and creative. The bunnies are deceiving because they look cute, but they are really harmful to the goats and anything around them because they want to eat everything. Unfortunately for the Princess, the bunnies speak in “cute,” so they can only speak to other cute creatures. However, the Princess’s pony, Frimplepants, is also cute, so he is able to communicate with the bunnies.
I loved this hilarious story! I highly recommend it for kids and adults!
What to read next:
The Princess Black Takes a Vacation (The Princess in Black #4) by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and LeUyen Pham
King Baby by Kate Beaton
Have you read The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde? What did you think of it?
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 The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab. The release date is March 12, 2019.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Brand new edition of Victoria Schwab’s long out-of-print, stunning debut
All-new deluxe edition of an out-of-print gem, containing in-universe short story “The Ash-Born Boy” and a never-before-seen introduction from V.E. Schwab.
The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.
There are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger, a boy who seems to fade like smoke, appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
Jill's Book Blog 