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 Well Metby Jen DeLuca.
What I’m currently reading:
I’m currently reading Heart of the Moors: An Original Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Novel by Holly Black.
What I’m reading next:
Next I will be reading Raven Lane by Amber Cowie.
What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?
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 Well Met by Jen DeLuca.
Goodreads Synopsis:
All’s faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author, Jen DeLuca.
Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?
The faire is Simon’s family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn’t have time for Emily’s lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she’s in her revealing wench’s costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they’re portraying?
This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can’t seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.
Title: Guardians of Magic (The Cloud Horse Chronicles #1) Author: Chris Riddell Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy Publisher: Pan Macmillan Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: November 5, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
In Guardians of Magic the award-winning, 2015-2017 UK Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell weaves together a stunningly illustrated magical quest in which three ordinary children, with extraordinary gifts, come together to defeat the enemies who threaten the mysterious cloud horses. This is the first title in The Cloud Horse Chronicles series.
The Kingdom of Thrynne is a place where fairy tales don’t behave, and magic can be found in unexpected places. But magic brings danger to Zam, Phoebe and Bathsheba, because it is forbidden. Now, the future of magic itself is under threat from powerful enemies: those who fear it and, worse, those who want to use it for their own ends. What can three ordinary children do to protect it?
Review:
This story follows three different narratives. Zam is a baker who discovers a magical spoon. Phoebe is a musician with a talking cello. Bathsheba is the daughter of a giant-slayer, who thinks giants shouldn’t be killed. They all come up against enemies who want to steal their magical items.
There were many common elements of fairytales that I liked in the story. Zam baked gingerbread people and Phoebe is a musician in a cat orchestra. There were also evil princesses, which defied the usual princess narrative.
I loved the illustrations that went along with the story. They were detailed and showed everything that was happening in the story. It also gave visual representation to some unusual creatures, such as the goat people and the giants.
This is a great story!
Thank you Pan Macmillan for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse (Goth Girl #1) by Chris Riddell
Have you read Guardians of Magic? 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 a book on NetGalley from HMH Books for Young Readers:
Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins
Thank you HMH Books for Young Readers for this book!
Title: Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Missing Adults Author: Scott Bryan Wilson, Bob Solanovics Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: November 5, 2019 Rating: ★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Eating candy nonstop and watching TV all day sounds great . . . until you actually do it, as the kids of Bayport High find out when all the adults vanish, and the world’s greatest (high school) detectives–the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew!–have to team up to solve the mystery! Whether it’s going under cover, sneaking out at night, chasing weird buses, or following a strange smell, they know it’ll take all their wits and smarts to get their parents and teachers back . . . that is, if Joe and Frank don’t kill each other first. Oh, and there’s also the matter of the skeleton that can walk. And a major feud with a rival high school. And a koala-in-a-diaper costume. And lawlessness in the hallways. And an unrequited crush . . .
Review:
I love that there are so many new adaptations of Nancy Drew happening right now. I have enjoyed many of them, but this one didn’t really work for me.
The characters were quite exaggerated in this story. Joe was lazy and excitable. He got furious anytime anyone called him something other than Joe. His outbursts became quite repetitive after a while. Nancy was very secretive about her past life. It was strange and the reason was not explained in the story. Perhaps the reason will come out in future books, if this becomes a series.
I also thought the illustrations didn’t match the characters. Nancy looked like the main character from the cartoon Daria, but Nancy is nothing like that character. She didn’t look like any version of Nancy Drew I’ve ever seen before. The Hardy Boys looked like opposites, with Frank in a button down shirt and Joe sporting a mohawk hairstyle. We didn’t even get to see some of my favourite characters, George and Bess. George was illustrated once and Bess was mentioned in dialogue but they didn’t do anything in the story. I wasn’t familiar with the supporting characters that were in the story.
This graphic novel didn’t really work for me. The characters were too extreme and not true to the originals.
Thank you Dynamite Entertainment for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
The Demon of River Heights (Nancy Drew: Girl Detective Graphic Novels #1) by Stefan Petrucha, Sho Murase
The Ocean of Osyria (The Hardy Boys Graphic Novel #1) by Scott Lobdell, Lea Hernandez
Have you read Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Missing Adults? 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:
“I didn’t choose the wench life. The wench life chose me.”
Do you recognize these first lines?
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And the book is… Well Met by Jen DeLuca.
Goodreads synopsis:
All’s faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author, Jen DeLuca.
Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?
The faire is Simon’s family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn’t have time for Emily’s lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she’s in her revealing wench’s costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they’re portraying?
This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can’t seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.
Title: You Are Awesome: How to Navigate Change, Wrestle with Failure, and Live an Intentional Life Author: Neil Pasricha Genre: Nonfiction Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada Source: Publisher Format: Paperback, ebook Release Date: November 5, 2019 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
From Neil Pasricha—New York Times, million-copy bestselling author of The Book of Awesome series and The Happiness Equation, thought leader for the next generation, and one of the most popular TED speakers in the world—comes a revelatory and inspiring book that will change the way we view failure and help us build resilience.
We are lucky. For most of us, famine, plague, economic depression, and other life-threatening catastrophes are the stuff of history books. We’re living in an era with the highest-ever rates of longevity, education, and wealth. Cars drive us home as our phones entertain us before we arrive to food delivered to the front door. We have it all!
But there’s just one side effect. We no longer have the tools to handle failure…or even perceived failure. When we fall, we lie on the sidewalk crying. When we spill, we splatter. When we crack, we shatter.
We are turning into an army of porcelain dolls.
A rude email from the boss means calling in sick. Only two likes on our post means we don’t have friends. Cell phones show us we’re never good enough. Yesterday’s butterflies are tomorrow’s panic attacks. Record numbers of students have clinical anxiety. And what about depression, loneliness, and suicide?
All rising!
What do we desperately need to learn?
RESILIENCE. And we need to learn it fast.
Read You Are Awesome to learn: • The single word that keeps your options open after failure • What every commencement speech gets wrong • 3 ways to dramatically accelerate your ability to learn and adapt • The 2-minute morning practice that helps eliminate worry • Why you need an Untouchable Day (and how to get one) • and much, much more…
Because the truth is, you really are awesome.
Review:
I loved this book! It was the perfect combination of Neil’s personal stories and research about living an awesome life.
This book was divided into nine different tips on how to be awesome. These include “Lose More to Win More,” which was about taking more chances to have more success as well as failure, and “Fine Small Ponds,” which was about finding success by being the big fish in a small pond.
Each of these tips were divided into easy to follow sections, which had a great mix of research and stories from Neil’s life. Each story he told illustrated the subject perfectly. These ranged from his mother’s resilience while growing up in Kenya, and a man who told him his biggest secrets during a flight.
I found this book so inspiring. It has made me so much more positive about my outlook on life and the way that I think about success.
Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything = Have Everything by Neil Pasricha
The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha
Have you read You Are Awesome: How to Navigate Change, Wrestle with Failure, and Live and Intentional Life? 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 Dark Shores (Dark Shores #1) by Danielle L. Jensen.
Goodreads Synopsis:
High seas adventure, blackmail, and meddling gods meet in Dark Shores, the first novel in a new YA fantasy series.
In a world divided by meddlesome gods and treacherous oceans, only the Maarin possess the knowledge to cross the Endless Seas. But they have one mandate: East must never meet West.
A SAILOR WITH A WILL OF IRON
Teriana is the second mate of the Quincense and heir to the Maarin Triumvirate. Her people are born of the seas and the keepers of its secrets, but when her closest friend is forced into an unwanted betrothal, Teriana breaks her people’s mandate so her friend might escape—a choice with devastating consequences.
A SOLDIER WITH A SECRET
Marcus is the commander of the Thirty-Seventh, the notorious legion that has led the Celendor Empire to conquer the entire East. The legion is his family, but even they don’t know the truth he’s been hiding since childhood. It’s a secret he’ll do anything to protect, no matter how much it costs him – and the world.
A DANGEROUS QUEST
When an Empire senator discovers the existence of the Dark Shores, he captures Teriana’s crew and threatens to reveal Marcus’s secret unless they sail in pursuit of conquest, forcing the two into an unlikely—and unwilling—alliance. They unite for the sake of their families, but both must decide how far they are willing to go, and how much they are willing to sacrifice.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Jill's Book Blog 