Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Favourite Things to Eat/Drink While Reading. Here’s my list:
Month: September 2019
Review: The Babysitters Coven (The Babysitters Coven #1)
Title: The Baby Sitters Coven (The Babysitters Coven #1)
Author: Kate Williams
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: September 17, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Adventures in Babysitting meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this funny, action-packed novel about a coven of witchy babysitters who realize their calling to protect the innocent and save the world from an onslaught of evil.
Seventeen-year-old Esme Pearl has a babysitters club. She knows it’s kinda lame, but what else is she supposed to do? Get a job? Gross. Besides, Esme likes babysitting, and she’s good at it.
And lately Esme needs all the cash she can get, because it seems like destruction follows her wherever she goes. Let’s just say she owes some people a new tree.
Enter Cassandra Heaven. She’s Instagram-model hot, dresses like she found her clothes in a dumpster, and has a rebellious streak as gnarly as the cafeteria food. So why is Cassandra willing to do anything, even take on a potty-training two-year-old, to join Esme’s babysitters club?
The answer lies in a mysterious note Cassandra’s mother left her: “Find the babysitters. Love, Mom.”
Turns out, Esme and Cassandra have more in common than they think, and they’re about to discover what being a babysitter really means: a heroic lineage of superpowers, magic rituals, and saving the innocent from seriously terrifying evil. And all before the parents get home.
Review:
This book was so amazing! It’s a mix of the Babysitters Club and witchcraft.
I loved all of the references to other magic/witchcraft stories. There were references to Harry Potter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There were also references to the Babysitters Club. That was one of my favourite series when I was a kid! In this story, Esme and her friends had a babysitters club, based on the one in the book. These references made the book so relatable.
The pace of the story grew steadily throughout the book. It started out with Esme in her regular life, until she developed telekinetic powers. It got so exciting towards the end, that it was hard to put down. There were also some surprises at characters who weren’t who they pretended to be.
I loved this book so much! I don’t know how I’ll wait until next year to find out what happens next!
Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Shadowland (The Mediator #1) by Meg Cabot
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin
Have you read The Babysitters Coven? What did you think of it?
It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – September 16
This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!
What I just finished:
This weekend I finished The Widow of Pale Harbor by Hester Fox.
What I’m currently reading:
I’m currently reading Harvey Comes Home by Colleen Nelson.
What I’m reading next:
Next I will be reading Met Her Match by Jude Deveraux.
What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?
Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – September 15
Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:
- Serpent and Dove (Serpent and Dove #1) ★★★★★
- The Okay Witch ★★★★★
- A Treason of Thorns ★★★★★
- Broken Strings ★★★★★
- Diary of a 5th Grade Outlaw ★★★
- The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat and Fierce ★★★★★
I did 9 weekly blogging memes:
- Sundays in Bed With…
- Six for Sunday
- It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?
- Top Ten Tuesday
- ‘Waiting on’ Wednesday
- TBR Thursday
- First Lines Friday
- Stacking the Shelves
How was your week? What did you guys read?
Sundays in Bed With… The Widow of Pale Harbor
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 Widow of Pale Harbor by Hester Fox.
Goodreads Synopsis:
A town gripped by fear. A woman accused of witchcraft. Who can save Pale Harbor from itself?
Maine, 1846. Gabriel Stone is desperate to escape the ghosts that haunt him in Massachusetts after his wife’s death, so he moves to Maine, taking a position as a minister in the remote village of Pale Harbor.
But not all is as it seems in the sleepy town. Strange, unsettling things have been happening, and the townspeople claim that only one person can be responsible: Sophronia Carver, a reclusive widow who lives with a spinster maid in the eerie Castle Carver. Sophronia must be a witch, and she almost certainly killed her husband.
As the incidents escalate, one thing becomes clear: they are the work of a twisted person inspired by the wildly popular stories of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. And Gabriel must find answers, or Pale Harbor will suffer a fate worthy of Poe’s darkest tales.
What book are you in bed with today?
Six for Sunday – Schools I’d Love to Go to
This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.
This week’s prompt is Schools I’d Love to Go to. Here’s my list:
1. University of Sheffield (Giant Days)
2. Hogwarts (Harry Potter)
3. Sage Academy (Upside-Down Magic)
4. Fairy Tale Reform School (Fairy Tale Reform School)
5. Riverdale High (Archie Comics)
6. Super Hero High (DC Super Hero Girls)
Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of Schools You’d Like to Go to?
Review: The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat and Fierce
Title: The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat and Fierce
Author: Angie Manfredi (editor)
Genre: Young Adult, Nonfiction
Publisher: Abrams Kids
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
The definitive collection of art, poetry, and prose, celebrating fat acceptance
Chubby. Curvy. Fluffy. Plus-size. Thick. Fat. The time has come for fat people to tell their own stories. The (Other) F Word combines personal essays, prose, poetry, fashion tips, and art to create a relatable and attractive guide about body image and body positivity. This YA crossover anthology is meant for people of all sizes who desire to be seen and heard in a culture consumed by a narrow definition of beauty. By combining the talents of renowned fat YA and middle-grade authors, as well as fat influencers and creators, The (Other) F Word offers teen readers and activists of all ages a guide for navigating our world with confidence and courage.
Review:
I absolutely loved this book!
Often when I read collections of essays or stories by a variety of authors, I like a few of the pieces but not all of them. I loved every essay and piece of work in this collection. I could relate to most of them, and I learned new things from the ones I couldn’t relate to.
This collection is so important. It isn’t just for fat readers. Everyone can benefit from reading this book, because it gives a glimpse into the lives of fat people. Being fat is treated as even worse than other traits. When sexist and racist jokes aren’t allowed in mainstream media today, fat jokes still remain. This may be because people think you can change your weight easier than you can change your skin colour or gender. However, this is not always the case.
I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to read this book. It really means a lot to me! I would have loved to have read it when I was a fat teenager. I hope this book gets the recognition it deserves!
Thank you Abrams Kids for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World by Kelly Jensen (editor)
Have you read The (Other) F Word? What did you think of it?
P.S. Stay tuned for a special giveaway related to this book coming soon!
Stacking the Shelves – September 14
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 had a wish granted for a book on NetGalley from BOOM! Studios:
A Sparrow’s Roar by C.R. Chua and Paolo Chikiamco
I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Pan Macmillan:
Guardians of Magic (The Cloud Horse Chronicles #1) by Chris Riddell
I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Amulet:
We Used to be Friends by Amy Spalding
Thank you BOOM! Studios, Pan Macmillan, and Amulet for these books!
What books did you get this week?
Review: Diary of a 5th Grade Outlaw
Title: Diary of a 5th Grade Outlaw
Author: Laurie Forest, Andrea Bell
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Rating: ★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Robin Loxley, the 5th grade outlaw of Nottingham Elementary, tells all! From Epic! Originals comes a comic-inspired illustrated novel series that treats growing up as an adventure.
Fifth grade has just started, and the school bully, Nadia, already rules recess with an unfair Playground Tax. Robin refuses to be pushed around, but all she can think about is winning back her best friend, Mary Ann, after a disastrous fallout over the summer. To do so, she will have to stand up to Nadia, face the wrath of Assistant Principal Johnson, and become a legendary outlaw at Nottingham Elementary—all while forming a merry band of new friends along the way.
Review:
This story is a retelling of Robin Hood, in a middle school setting.
A lot of the elements in the story were exaggerated to reinforce the story of Robin Hood. The main character was a girl named Robin who was literally wearing a hoodie all the time. The school had a currency that students could earn when they did well on assignments. However, a mean girl named Nadia ended up creating a playground tax so she could steal everyone’s money. It was a silly way of giving Robin a way to “steal” from the bully to give the students their money back.
There was a lot of bullying in this story. Nadia was a girl who picked on Robin and stole from other students. Even the staff bullied kids. I don’t know how they wouldn’t have noticed what was happening on the playground. There was too much bullying without enough redemption at the end.
Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Have you read Diary of a 5th Grade Outlaw? What did you think of it?
First Lines Friday – September 13
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:
“Well, I have two names. That’s what I say when people ask me what my middle name is. I say: Well, I have two names.”
Do you recognize these first lines?
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And the book is… Frankly in Love by David Yoon.
Goodreads synopsis:
High school senior Frank Li is a Limbo–his term for Korean-American kids who find themselves caught between their parents’ traditional expectations and their own Southern California upbringing. His parents have one rule when it comes to romance–“Date Korean”–which proves complicated when Frank falls for Brit Means, who is smart, beautiful–and white. Fellow Limbo Joy Song is in a similar predicament, and so they make a pact: they’ll pretend to date each other in order to gain their freedom. Frank thinks it’s the perfect plan, but in the end, Frank and Joy’s fake-dating maneuver leaves him wondering if he ever really understood love–or himself–at all.
Have you read Frankly in Love? What did you think of it?
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