Month: November 2019

Reindeer Readathon TBR!

Hey everyone!

This December I will be participating in the Reindeer Readathon, which is hosted by BreakEven Books. It takes place between December 1-31. You have to read books that fit into a list of prompts to earn points for your team.

It is the last day to sign up (November 30).

This is the list of prompts:

This is my TBR for the readathon:

  • Dasher: Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
  • Dancer: On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
  • Prancer: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
  • Vixen: Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
  • Comet: Homes: A Refugee Story by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah, Winnie Yeung
  • Cupid: A Wedding in December by Sarah Morgan
  • Donner: The Gown by Jennifer Robson
  • Blitzen: Guts by Raina Telgemeier
  • Rudolph: Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki, Steven Pugh
  • Christmas Star: The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter

The sign up link is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-37r5VhJt7m8wPmgbJI0jxsfiqKmwJ-hL8_ZipHTYKbwptA/viewform

After you sign up, you will be placed in a team. My team is the Mistletoe Team!

Who else is doing the Reindeer Readathon or any other holiday themed readathon?

Review: Angel Catbird, Vol. 2: To Castle Catula

Title: Angel Catbird, Vol. 2: To Castle Catula
Author: Margaret Atwood, Johnnie Christmas, Tamra Bonvillain
Genre: Science Fiction, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Dark Horse
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 14, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The cat-centric adventure continues, in the all-ages follow-up to best-selling novelist Margaret Atwood’s debut graphic novel. Genetic engineer Strig Feleedus, also known as Angel Catbird, and his band of half-cats head to Castle Catula to seek allies as the war between cats and rats escalates. 

Margaret Atwood, the respected, worldwide best-selling novelist, and acclaimed artist Johnnie Christmas continue their action-packed adventure!

Review:

The cat/humans had to run away from the rat creator, Murtroid, in this second volume. They travel through the forest to Count Catula’s castle.

I love the cat references in this series! There were new cats in this book, including NeferKitti (who is the real Nefertiti) and her mummykittens, as well as the bird human Athen-Owl (who is the Greek goddess Athena). These were really funny references.

There were more great cat facts in this book, too. Every few pages, there are some facts about cats and their impact on the world. This included how many people abandon cats and how many species of birds that cats have been involved in making extinct.

I love this series! It’s funny and great for cat lovers!

Other Books in the Series:

What to read next:

Angel Catbird, Vol. 3: the Catbird Roars

Have you read Angel Catbird, Vol. 2: To Castle Catula? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – November 30

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 two books on NetGalley from Simon and Schuster Canada:

We Are the Wildcats by Siobhan Vivian

The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for this book!

What books did you get this week?

Review: The Marrow Thieves

Title: The Marrow Thieves
Author: Cherie Dimaline
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Publisher: Dancing Cat Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 10, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In a futuristic world ravaged by global warming, people have lost the ability to dream, and the dreamlessness has led to widespread madness. The only people still able to dream are North America’s Indigenous people, and it is their marrow that holds the cure for the rest of the world. But getting the marrow, and dreams, means death for the unwilling donors. Driven to flight, a fifteen-year-old and his companions struggle for survival, attempt to reunite with loved ones and take refuge from the “recruiters” who seek them out to bring them to the marrow-stealing “factories.”

Review:

This is an amazing story that mixes the ancient Native Canadian culture with a futuristic dystopia.

In the world of this novel, Native Canadians were being rounded up so they could be studied. They were the only people who still dream, and everyone else wanted to take that ability back from them. It was unclear why they were the only people left with the ability to dream. The characters in this story had to run away into the forests to escape capture.

This story was character driven, with a very strong cast. Their only goal was to go north, so they kept walking. There was a group of kids and adults, who were not related, but lived together because they had lost the rest of their families.

The characters had detailed backstories, which were devastating to read about. There was a lot of pain in their individual histories, which was reminiscent of the real history of Native people in Canada. Many parts were difficult to read, but it is important to know these stories because they represent our real history.

This book had a beautiful ending, which made all the pain worth it. I loved the story!

What to read next:

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

Have you read The Marrow Thieves? What did you think of it?

First Lines Friday – November 29

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:

“About thirty years ago, Miss Maria Ward, of Huntingdon, with only seven thousand pounds, had the good luck to captivate Sir Thomas Bertram, of Mansfield Park, in the county of Northampton, and to be thereby raised to the rank of a baronet’s lady, with all the comforts and consequences of an handsome house and large income.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

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And the book is… Mansfield Park by Jane Austen.

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Goodreads synopsis:

Adopted into the household of her uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram, Fanny Price grows up a meek outsider among her cousins in the unaccustomed elegance of Mansfield Park. Soon after Sir Thomas absents himself on estate business in Antigua (the family’s investment in slavery and sugar is considered in the Introduction in a new, post-colonial light), Mary Crawford and her brother Henry arrive at Mansfield, bringing with them London glamour, and the seductive taste for flirtation and theatre that precipitates a crisis. While Mansfield Park appears in some ways to continue where Pride and Prejudice left off, it is, as Kathryn Sutherland shows in her illuminating Introduction, a much darker work, which challenges ‘the very values (of tradition, stability, retirement and faithfulness) it appears to endorse’. This new edition provides an accurate text based, for the first time since its original publication, on the first edition of 1814. 

Have you read Mansfield Park? What did you think of it?

Review: Counting in Mi’kmaw / Mawkiljemk Mi’kmawiktuk

Title: Counting in Mi’kmaw / Mawkiljemk Mi’lmawiktuk
Author: Loretta Gould
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: August 30, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

One is Ne’wt, for one bear. Two is Ta’pu, for two women at the sacred fire. Counting from one to ten in English and Mi’kmaw, baby is introduced to both the ancestral language of Mi’kmaki and to Mi’kmaw culture and legend, through beautifully rendered illustrations of important animals, like turtle, bear, and beaver, to concepts integral to the Mi’kmaw world view, like the Four (Ne’w) Directions, and the Seven (L’luiknek) Mi’kmaw teachings. Features bright and detailed illustrations from celebrated Waycobah-based Mi’kmaw illustrator, Loretta Gould.

Review:

I read this book as part of the Toronto Public Library reading challenge for 2019. It is a great children’s book!

This book teaches children how to count to ten in English and Mi’kmaw. The numbers and words that describe the illustrations are written in both languages.

The illustrations are beautiful. They contain images from the natural world in the Native style. They were detailed and a wonderful addition to the story.

I really liked this book. I’m glad to see a children’s book that is an introduction to Native Canadian culture, which is an important part of Canadian history.

What to read next:

Fox and Squirrel Help Out by Ruth Ohi

Have you read Counting in Mi’kmaw? What did you think of it?

TBR Thursday – November 28

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 Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone and Watching You comes another page-turning look inside one family’s past as buried secrets threaten to come to light. 

Be careful who you let in. 

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am. 

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them. 

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone. 

In The Family Upstairs, the master of “bone-chilling suspense” (People) brings us the can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets. 

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

Review: The Skeleton Coast (Quest of the Sunfish #3)

Title: The Skeleton Coast (Quest of the Sunfish #3)
Author: Mardi McConnochie
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Pajama Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: November 28, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The grey light of dawn crept through the sky. The sun was yet to make its first appearance, but the crew of the Sunfish were already up and ready to weigh anchor. Having barely escaped the dangers of a world dominated by gangs, the corrupt Admiralty, and the hostile sea, Will, Annalie and their friends must now set sail for their most daunting destination yet: Sundia. This isolated country, forbidden to outsiders, is where the twins must make their final stand in their search for answers–and for their father. But with all they’ve overcome so far on their journey, how long can their luck hold? Packed with twists, dynamic characters, and compelling environmental themes, The Skeleton Coast brings Mardi McConnochie’s acclaimed cli-fi trilogy to a riveting conclusion.

Review:

This book was a great conclusion to this series.

The action started immediately, with the Sunfish being boarded by pirates. It was great that it was started so quickly. I would have liked a little summary of what happened before, because it had been a while since I read the last book. However, this quick beginning is good if you read the books in succession because it keeps the story going.

There was a point in the story where the group of kids was separated into two groups. The narrative followed one group until they joined together again, then it backtracked and followed what the other kids were doing. It was a little confusing the way it jumped around in the timeline. If it had happened simultaneously, it would have been easier to follow.

I really enjoyed this series!

Thank you Pajama Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Melissa, Queen of Evil by Mardi McConnochie

Have you read The Skeleton Coast? What did you think of it?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – November 27

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 Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins. The expected publication date is December 17, 2019.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this charming debut about first love and second chances, a young girl gets caught between the boy next door and a playboy. Perfect for fans of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Mansfield, Massachusetts is the last place seventeen-year-old Edie Price wants to spend her final summer before college. It’s the home of wealthy suburbanites and prima donnas like Edie’s cousins, who are determined to distract her from her mother’s death with cute boys and Cinderella-style makeovers. Edie has her own plans, and they don’t include a prince charming.

But as Edie dives into schoolwork and applying for college scholarships, she finds herself drawn to two Mansfield boys who start vying for her attention. First there’s Sebastian, Edie’s childhood friend and first love. He’s sweet and smart and . . . already has a girlfriend. Then there’s Henry, the local bad boy and all-around player. He’s totally off limits, even if his kisses are chemically addictive.

Both boys are trouble. Edie can’t help but get caught between them. Someone’s heart is going to break. Now she just has to make sure it isn’t hers.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Blog Tour Review: The Last Affair

Title: The Last Affair
Author: Margot Hunt
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: MIRA Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: November 26, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Love may be blind, but obsession’s a real killer.

Nora Holliday is not that kind of woman. Not the kind who has an illicit affair with a married man. But Josh Landon is everything Nora’s alcoholic husband isn’t. And now she and Josh are so infatuated, they can’t stay away from one another.

Abby Landon, Josh’s daughter, is home from college nursing a broken heart. She’s seeking solace, not more scandal, so when she catches her dad kissing Nora, she vows to take the homewrecker down.

And as for Abby’s mother and Josh’s wife, Gwen? To anyone on the outside looking in, the mother of two appears to be living the ideal suburban life.

Until she winds up dead.

The serene seaside town of Shoreham has always been the perfect place to raise a family—not somewhere housewives are brutally murdered. So who killed Gwen Landon, and how many twisted secrets will be exposed as the vindictive plot comes undone?

Review:

This was an exciting thriller!

The pacing of this thriller was great. It sped up throughout the story, building the tension. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. This was especially good, since the final murder is described in the prologue, though we don’t find out the details until the end.

This is the first thriller that I’ve read in a long time, that I couldn’t figure out the ending. The ending was so shocking! It wasn’t one of the possibilities that I thought had happened. It was a nice surprise, since it was described in the prologue, yet I still couldn’t guess what had happened.

I loved this story!

Thank you MIRA Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle

Best Friends Forever by Margot Hunt

Author Info:

Margot Hunt is a critically acclaimed author of psychological suspense. Her work has been praised by Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist and Kirkus Reviews.

Have you read The Last Affair? What did you think of it?