Year: 2019

Top Ten Tuesday – Cover Redesigns I Loved

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 Cover Redesigns I Loved. I’ve placed the original cover on the left and the redesign on the right. Here’s my list:

1. Kristy’s Great Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels #1) by Raina Telgemeier and Ann M. Martin

2. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

3. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #1) by Louise Rennison

4. Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski

5. Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) by Sarah Mlynowski

6. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

7. Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

8. S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett

9. Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo

10. The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

Review: The Tea Dragon Society

Title: The Tea Dragon Society
Author: Katie O’Neill
Genre: Children’s, Graphic Novel, LGBT
Publisher: Oni Press
Source: Owlcrate
Format: Paperback
Release Date: October 18, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever Aftercomes The Tea Dragon Society, a charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons. 

After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives—and eventually her own.

Review:

This is a short and sweet graphic novel.

In the Tea Dragon Society, they harvest tea that grows in the form of leaves on dragons. Their owners have a special bond with the dragons, allowing them to harvest the leaves. The dragons are named after various kinds of tea, such as Jasmine and Chamomile, and they grow those types of tea.

I loved the importance of friendship in this story. The members of the Tea Dragon Society have to form a special friendship with their dragons. The dragons united Hesekiel and Erik, and Greta and Minette. Greta also learns the importance of passing down knowledge to the next generations so skills, such as blacksmithing, are not lost.

I loved this story. I’m excited to read the next book in the series!

What to read next:

The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O’Neill

Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill

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

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – August 5

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 Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading The Last Hope (The Raging Ones #2) by Krista and Becca Ritchie

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Love at First Like by Hannah Orenstein.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – August 4

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 9 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying

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 A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Monster hunting isn’t for the faint of heart—the first in a brand-new middle-grade series by NYT bestselling author, Kelley Armstrong.

Twelve-year-old Rowan is next in line to be Queen; her twin brother, Rhydd, to be Royal Monster Hunter. Rowan would give anything to switch places, but the rule is, the oldest child is next in line, even if she is only older by two minutes. She resigns herself to admiring her royal monster hunter aunt’s official sword and having tea with dignitaries with her mother, the queen. But a tragic event breaks up longstanding rules, and now Rowan finds herself in hunt of a dangerous gryphon.

Accompanied by a feisty and determined baby jackalope and a giant wolf that barely tolerates her, she sets off on a journey that will see her join forces with other unlikely allies: a boy who has ambitions of his own to hunt monsters, and a girl from a nearby clan with hidden motives for befriending Rowan. It will take all of Rowan’s skills, both physical and diplomatic, to keep this journey on track. The future of the kingdom depends on it.

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Perfect Pool Reads

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 Perfect Pool Reads. Here’s my list:

1. The Last Resort by Marissa Stapley

2. Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo

3. The Au Pair by Emma Rous

4. The Last Guest House by Megan Miranda

5. Save the Date by Morgan Matson

6. Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of Perfect Pool Reads?

Review: The Secret of the Old Clock

Title: The Secret of the Old Clock
Author: Carolyn Keene
Genre: Children’s, Mystery
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlop
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: 1930
Rating: ★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Nancy, unaided, seeks to find a missing will. To the surprise of many, the Topham family will inherit wealthy Josiah Crowley’s fortune, instead of deserving relatives and friends who were promised inheritances. Nancy determines that a clue to a second will might be found in an old clock Mr. Crowley had owned and she seeks to find the timepiece. Her search not only tests her keen mind, but also leads her into a thrilling adventure.

Review:

It’s been many years since I first read this book. I recently watched the walkthrough on YouTube for the game version, and I wanted to read the book again. It wasn’t my favourite Nancy Drew game, so I was curious to revisit the book.

It may be my modern way of thinking, but I found the characters way too trusting. All of them told Nancy their financial troubles right after meeting her. It seemed strange for them to tell her all of their business immediately. I know it’s fiction, but it was so unrealistic and unusual.

Though some parts of this story were unrealistic, it is still a classic because it is the beginning of Nancy Drew’s mysteries.

What to read next:

The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene

Have you read The Secret of the Old Clock? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – August 3

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 received two books from Penguin Random House Canada:

Knife by Jo Nesbø

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Simon and Schuster Canada:

Our Wayward Fate by Gloria Chao

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada and Simon and Schuster Canada for these books!

What books did you get this week?

Review: Doctor Who: The Many Lives of Doctor Who

Title: Doctor Who: The Many Lives of Doctor Who
Author: Richard Dinnick
Genre: Graphic Novel, Science Fiction
Publisher: Titan
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: September 26, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The ultimate celebration of Doctor Who – a perfect introduction for new fans and a brilliant tribute for long-time Whovians! 

When you die, your life flashes before your eyes – and the Doctor’s had a lot of lives! The Thirteenth Doctor relives unseen adventures from all her past selves!

Review:

This story takes place during the Twelfth Doctor’s regeneration into the Thirteenth Doctor. He thinks back on each of his different regenerations as the Doctor. It’s a great recap of the entire series.

I loved that each version of the Doctor was illustrated by a different person. They all had distinct personalities, so they were all illustrated differently in this book. Some of the ones that were more quirky, like the Fourth Doctor, had more of a cartoon drawing, while more serious characters, like the Ninth Doctor, has more realistic graphics. My favourite illustrations were of the new Thirteenth Doctor, because they were so realistic that they looked like photographs of her!

I’m not as familiar with the Doctors from the original series, but I could recognize some of the characters. I wish there were more of my favourite characters in the recent Doctor stories. For the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, other characters were in their stories who I think are from their comic series. I wish there were more recognizable companions with those Doctors.

This is a great introduction to the new Doctor!

What to read next:

Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor, Vol. 1: A New Beginning by Jody Houser

Have you read Doctor Who: The Many Lives of Doctor Who? What did you think of it?

First Lines Friday – August 2

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 was a bloody great hotel. The minibar in Jule’s room stocked potato chips and four different chocolate bars. The bathtub had bubble jets. There was an endless supply of fat towels and liquid gardenia soap. In the lobby, an elderly gentleman played Gershwin on a grand piano at four each afternoon. You could get hot clay skin treatments, if you didn’t mind strangers touching you.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

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And the book is… Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart.

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Goodreads synopsis:

From the author of the unforgettable New York Timesbestseller We Were Liars comes a masterful new psychological suspense novel–the story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge.

Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat.

Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete. 

An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two. 

A bad romance, or maybe three.

Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains. 

A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her.

A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.

Have you read Genuine Fraud? What did you think of it?