Month: December 2019

Sundays in Bed With… The Almost Sisters

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 Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson.

Goodreads Synopsis:

With empathy, grace, humor, and piercing insight, the author of Gods in Alabama pens a powerful, emotionally resonant novel of the South that confronts the truth about privilege, family, and the distinctions between perception and reality – the stories we tell ourselves about our origins and who we really are.

Superheroes have always been Leia Birch Briggs’ weakness. One tequila-soaked night at a comics convention, the usually level-headed graphic novelist is swept off her barstool by a handsome and anonymous Batman. 

It turns out the caped crusader has left her with more than just a nice, fuzzy memory. She’s having a baby boy – an unexpected but not unhappy development in the thirty-eight year-old’s life. But before Leia can break the news of her impending single-motherhood (including the fact that her baby is biracial) to her conventional, Southern family, her step-sister Rachel’s marriage implodes. Worse, she learns her beloved ninety-year-old grandmother, Birchie, is losing her mind, and she’s been hiding her dementia with the help of Wattie, her best friend since girlhood.

Leia returns to Alabama to put her grandmother’s affairs in order, clean out the big Victorian that has been in the Birch family for generations, and tell her family that she’s pregnant. Yet just when Leia thinks she’s got it all under control, she learns that illness is not the only thing Birchie’s been hiding. Tucked in the attic is a dangerous secret with roots that reach all the way back to the Civil War. Its exposure threatens the family’s freedom and future, and it will change everything about how Leia sees herself and her sister, her son and his missing father, and the world she thinks she knows.

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – All I Want for Christmas is…

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 All I Want for Christmas is… These are the books I’d love to get for Christmas! Here’s my list:

1. Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle #1) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

2. Calling All Witches! The Girls Who Left Their Mark on the Wizarding World by Laurie Calkhoven, Violet Tobacco

3. Harley Quinn: Mad Love by Paul Dini, Pat Cadigan

4. Queen of Ruin (Grace and Fury #2) by Tracy Banghart

5. Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

6. This Splintered Silence by Kayla Olson

(All book cover images from Goodreads)

Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of All I Want for Christmas?

Review: The Tea Dragon Festival (Tea Dragon #2)

Title: The Tea Dragon Festival
Author: Katie O’Neill
Genre: Graphic Novel, Children’s, Fantasy
Publisher: Oni Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 17, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but stumbling across a real dragon turns out to be a different matter entirely! Aedhan is a young dragon who was appointed to protect the village but fell asleep in the forest eighty years ago. With the aid of Rinn’s adventuring uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel, they investigate the mystery of his enchanted sleep, but Rinn’s real challenge is to help Aedhan come to terms with feeling that he cannot get back the time he has lost.

Review:

This is another adorable story featuring the tea dragons.

This story has some of the same characters as The Tea Dragon Society, but it could be read as a stand-alone book. It has a different story. In this book, a dragon is woken up after sleeping for 80 years. This dragon is from a special clan, who was meant to look after the village. The characters try to reintroduce the dragon into their village.

One of the villagers was deaf, so the other people learned sign language. They would speak in sign language. This was demonstrated with the text in a different kind of text box, to show that it was being signed. I really liked this representation of sign language.

I love the illustrations in this series. The settings are beautiful, and remind me of fairy tales because of the flowers and plants. The dragons and tea dragons aren’t like typical dragons. These ones are cute and cuddly. They almost look like stuffed toys!

I really enjoyed this book!

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

What to read next:

Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill

Aquicorn Cove by Katie O’Neill

Other Books in the Series:

Have you read The Tea Dragon Festival? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – December 21

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 on NetGalley from Sourcebooks Kids:

Jinxed (Jinxed #1) by Amy McCulloch

I received a book on NetGalley from Harlequin:

The Girls with No Names by Serena Burdick

I received a book from Simon and Schuster Canada:

The Secret Hours (Deverill Chronicles #4) by Santa Montefiore

Thank you Sourcebooks Kids, Harlequin, and Simon and Schuster Canada for this book!

What books did you get this week?

Review: One Week ‘Til Christmas

Title: One Week ‘Til Christmas
Author: Belinda Missen
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Publisher: HQ Digital
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: November 1, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Two people. One chance meeting. Seven days to Christmas.

Isobel Bennett is waiting for the number 11 bus when a man quite literally falls into her lap. Snow is falling, Christmas lights are twinkling, and a gorgeous man with dark brown hair has just slipped on ice and is now pressed against Isobel.

Isobel knows she’s not imagining the chemistry between them. But then his ride arrives and, embarrassed, he beats a hasty retreat, murmuring apologies – and Isobel realises only too late that she didn’t manage to catch his name…

When she runs into him again the next morning, she decides it’s fate.

It’s a second chance for Isobel and Tom – but there’s only one week until she’s leaving London for good. Seven days of enjoying all the festive delights the city has to offer: ice-skating at Somerset House, mulled wine on the Southbank, Christmas shopping at Liberty.

There’s magic in the air and mistletoe in the trees – but what will happen when the week is over?

For fans of Josie Silver, Lucy Diamond and Marian Keyes, this is one Christmas romance you don’t want to miss!

Review:

This was an adorable Christmas romance.

It was a short and sweet story. The whole story takes place in the week before Christmas. Tom and Isobel meet while she’s on a writing assignment to interview him. They end up having a whirlwind romance that has to come to an end when she leaves for Christmas. The question was, were they going to stay together even if she left to go to Australia for Christmas?

I loved all the references to London in this story. Isobel is originally from Australia but she’s on a holiday in London during the book. London is one of my favourite cities, and it’s so pretty when it’s decorated for the holidays. I loved all the locations mentioned in the book.

I really enjoyed this Christmas story!

Thank you HQ Digital for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Lessons in Love by Belinda Missen

Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage by Katie Ginger

Have you read One Week ‘Til Christmas? What did you think of it?

First Lines Friday – December 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:

“‘Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,’ grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.
‘It’s so dreadful to be poor!’ sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

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And the book is… Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

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Goodreads synopsis:

Grown-up Meg, tomboyish Jo, timid Beth, and precocious Amy. The four March sisters couldn’t be more different. But with their father away at war, and their mother working to support the family, they have to rely on one another. Whether they’re putting on a play, forming a secret society, or celebrating Christmas, there’s one thing they can’t help wondering: Will Father return home safely?

Have you read Little Women? What did you think of it?

Review: The Fever King (Feverwake #1)

Title: The Fever King (Feverwake #1)
Author: Victoria Lee
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, LGBTQ
Publisher: Skyscape
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 1, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In the former United States, sixteen-year-old Noam Álvaro wakes up in a hospital bed, the sole survivor of the viral magic that killed his family and made him a technopath. His ability to control technology attracts the attention of the minister of defense and thrusts him into the magical elite of the nation of Carolinia.

The son of undocumented immigrants, Noam has spent his life fighting for the rights of refugees fleeing magical outbreaks—refugees Carolinia routinely deports with vicious efficiency. Sensing a way to make change, Noam accepts the minister’s offer to teach him the science behind his magic, secretly planning to use it against the government. But then he meets the minister’s son—cruel, dangerous, and achingly beautiful—and the way forward becomes less clear.

Caught between his purpose and his heart, Noam must decide who he can trust and how far he’s willing to go in pursuit of the greater good.

Review:

I had a hard time getting into this story at the beginning because it was very political. It takes place in the future, where the United States is divided up into separate countries. There were protests from the refugees who were being deported from the countries. There was also a virus going around that either killed people, or, for a few, gave them a magic power.

Once the story went from the broad political story to a plot about the main characters, I really enjoyed it. I couldn’t tell who was lying and what side people were on. It was especially tricky because some characters were telepathic, so they knew when others were lying to them.

This was an exciting story. I really enjoyed it!

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

What to read next:

This Mortal Coil (This Mortal Coil #1) by Emily Suvada

The Last Magician (The Last Magician #1) by Lisa Maxwell

Have you read The Fever King? What did you think of it?

TBR Thursday – December 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 Reckoning of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions #2) by Michelle Hodkin.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Noah Shaw confesses all in this second novel of a chilling new companion series to Michelle Hodkin’s New York Timesbestselling Mara Dyer trilogy!

Noah Shaw doesn’t think he needs his father’s inheritance.
He does.

Noah believes there’s something off about the suicides in his visions.
There is.

Noah is convinced that he still knows the real Mara Dyer.
He does not. 

Everyone thought the nightmare had ended with Mara Dyer’s memoirs, but it was only the beginning. As old skeletons are laid bare, alliances will be tested, hearts will be broken, and no one will be left unscarred.

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

Review: Grease Bats

Title: Grease Bats
Author: Archie Bongiovanni
Genre: Graphic Novel, LGBTQ
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 3, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

So, no one told you life was gonna be this gay! Grease Bats stars Andy, a trans genderqueer individual who is both tough and loving, and their BFF Scout, an all-feelings-all-the-time mistake-maker. 

Andy and Scout are best buds, roommates, and gay disasters. Along with their friends and plenty of beer, they’re just trying to make it through their 20s, survive late capitalism, and navigate the dating world. Tough and loving Andy is a genderqueer trans individual, who dates like there’s no tomorrow, while Scout, an all-feelings-all-the-time mistake-maker, is still languishing over her ex-girlfriend…from like two years ago.

Created by Archie Bongiovanni (The Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns) and originally published on Autostraddle, this edition collects all the best misadventures, internet dates, and bad decisions in one place!

Review:

This book is a collection of comics about two best friends, Andy and Scout. They are both genderqueer. Throughout the comics, they go through a few years of adventures. These include, holidays such as Halloween, lots of partying, and even camping.

These characters were so funny. Andy was overdramatic a lot of the time, but also funny. They wore message tanks all the time, and were always drinking and looking for a party. Scout was more serious, which balanced out Andy’s personality.

They also had some other friends who made appearances throughout the comics. Each of the friends were so different, though they identified as genderqueer. It shows that just because they have similar gender identities, they had different ways of expressing their feelings. They all had different ideas of how they should behave, so they had to figure out what they wanted in life.

I really enjoyed these comics!

Thank you BOOM! Studios for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni, Tristan Jimerson

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki, Rosemary Valero-O’Connell

Have you read Grease Bats? What did you think of it?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – December 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 A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandison. The expected publication date is January 7, 2020

Goodreads Synopsis:

When they’re stuck under one roof, the house may not be big enough for their hate…or their love.

When Tyson Trice finds himself tossed into the wealthy coastal community of Pacific Hills, he’s ready for the questions, the stares and the feeling of not belonging. Not that he cares. After recovering from being shot and surviving the rough streets of Lindenwood, he doesn’t care about anyone or anything, much less how the rest of his life will play out.

Golden girl Nandy Smith has spent most of her life building the pristine image that it takes to fit in when it comes to her hometown Pacific Hills where image is everything. After learning that her parents are taking in a troubled teen boy, Nandy fears her summer plans, as well as her reputation, will go up in flames. 

Now with Trice living under the same roof, the wall between their bedrooms feels as thin as the line between love and hate. Beneath the angst, their growing attraction won’t be denied. Through time, Trice brings Nandy out of her shell, and Nandy attempts to melt the ice that’s taken Trice’s heart and being. Only, with the ever-present pull back to the Lindenwood streets, it’ll be a wonder if Trice makes it through this summer at all.

What books are you waiting on this week?