It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – January 13

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 Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading The Tenant by Katrine Engberg.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Echoes Between Us by Katie McGarry.

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

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – January 12

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 8 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… Every Other Weekend

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 Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Can life begin again…every other weekend?

Adam Moynihan’s life used to be awesome. Straight As, close friends and a home life so perfect that it could have been a TV show straight out of the 50s. Then his oldest brother died. Now his fun-loving mom cries constantly, he and his remaining brother can’t talk without fighting, and the father he always admired proved himself a coward by moving out when they needed him most.

Jolene Timber’s life is nothing like the movies she loves—not the happy ones anyway. As an aspiring director, she should know, because she’s been reimagining her life as a film ever since she was a kid. With her divorced parents at each other’s throats and using her as a pawn, no amount of mental reediting will give her the love she’s starving for. 

Forced to spend every other weekend in the same apartment building, the boy who thinks forgiveness makes him weak and the girl who thinks love is for fools begin an unlikely friendship. The weekends he dreaded and she endured soon become the best part of their lives. But when one’s life begins to mend while the other’s spirals out of control, they realize that falling in love while surrounded by its demise means nothing is ever guaranteed.

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – 2019 Favourites

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 2019 Favourites Here’s my list:

1. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

2. Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

3. Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford

4. Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki

5. The Last Resort by Marissa Stapley

6. The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3) by Holly Black

(All book cover images from Goodreads)

Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of 2019 Favourites?

Review: Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey

Title: Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey
Author: Kelley Puckett, Paul Dini, Chuck Dixon
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: December 17, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

THE FUTURE OF GOTHAM BEGINS WITH THEM!

In celebration of the feature film Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) comes HARLEY QUINN & THE BIRDS OF PREY! Meet the characters that inspired the film in six classic tales starring: Harley Quinn, Black Canary, Huntress, Renee Montoya, Cassandra Cain, and Black Mask.

Review:

This is a collection of comics about the characters who make up the Birds of Prey. These are previously released comics which give a short tale about each character.

Some of the comics give a complete story in the short comic. I really liked the comics about Harley Quinn and Black Canary, because these were complete stories. Some of the others were just part of an ongoing story, such as “Mark of Cain, Part One,” which gives an introduction to Cassandra Cain. That was the first part of a story about her, and it ended abruptly so I don’t know what happened in the rest of it.

I love Harley Quinn, so I especially liked the comic about her. It was part of the Detective Comics series, and I had never read it before. One little detail I liked was that Harley’s prisoner number was 381993, which is also the date of her first appearance in the comics, August 3, 1993.

This is a good introduction to the characters of Birds of Prey. I’m excited to watch the upcoming movie.

What to read next:

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki, Steve Pugh

Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale by Lauren Myracle, Isaac Goodhart

Have you read Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – January 11

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!

Surprisingly, I didn’t receive any new books this week! This is the first time in a long time that this has happened, so I can just catch up on the books I already have.

What books did you get this week?

Review: Loveboat, Taipei (Loveboat, Taipei #1)

Title: Loveboat, Taipei (Loveboat, Taipei #1)
Author: Abigail Hing Wen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

“Our cousins have done this program,” Sophie whispers. “Best kept secret. Zero supervision.” 

And just like that, Ever Wong’s summer takes an unexpected turnGone is Chien Tan, the strict educational program in Taiwan that Ever was expecting. In its place, she finds Loveboat: a summer-long free-for-all where hookups abound, adults turn a blind eye, snake-blood sake flows abundantly, and the nightlife runs nonstop.

But not every student is quite what they seem:

Ever is working toward becoming a doctor but nurses a secret passion for dance.

Rick Woo is the Yale-bound child prodigy bane of Ever’s existence whose perfection hides a secret.

Boy-crazy, fashion-obsessed Sophie Ha turns out to have more to her than meets the eye.

And under sexy Xavier Yeh’s shell is buried a shameful truth he’ll never admit.

When these students’ lives collide, it’s guaranteed to be a summer Ever will never forget.

Review:

This was an exciting book about a group of teenagers sent to Loveboat, where they are supposed to learn about their culture but end up partying instead.

The characters were complex in this story. They each had a detailed backstory and storyline, though Ever was the main character. They had all been through things, which shaped the choices they made. They also changed throughout the story, so my opinions of them were different by the end from when they were first introduced. I was surprised at how some of the characters developed, but I won’t give the names so it isn’t spoiled.

The kids in this book were pretty wild. They snuck out of Loveboat and had wild parties. There was also tons of romance. It was fun to read, because it seemed like a summer long party.

I really enjoyed this book!

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

What to read next:

My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life by Rachel Cohn

Our Wayward Fate by Gloria Chao

Have you read Loveboat, Taipei? What did you think of it?

First Lines Friday – January 10

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:

“‘Take my baby.’
I flinch at the brittle, scratchy voice. I’m standing on the subway platform as I do every day after work, waiting for the train to come.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

And the book is… Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey.

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Goodreads synopsis:

A moment on the platform changes two lives forever. But nothing is as it seems…

‘Take my baby.’

In a split second, Morgan’s life changes forever. A stranger hands her a baby, then jumps in front of a train.

Morgan has never seen the woman before and she can’t understand what would cause a person to give away her child and take her own life.

When the police question Morgan, she discovers none of the witnesses can corroborate her version of events. And when they learn Morgan longs for a baby of her own, she becomes a suspect.

To prove her innocence, Morgan frantically tries to retrace the last days of the woman’s life. She begins to understand that Nicole Markham believed she and her baby were in danger. Now Morgan might be in danger, too.

Was Nicole a new mother struggling with paranoia?

Or was something much darker going on?

Pulse-pounding, heartrending, shocking, thrilling. This is one book you won’t be able to stop thinking about. 

Have you read Woman on the Edge? What did you think of it?

Review: Martin Luther King Jr. (Little People, Big Dreams)

Title: Martin Luther King Jr. (Little People, Big Dreams)
Author: Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, Mai Ly Degnan
Genre: Children’s, Nonfiction
Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Little Martin grew up in a family of preachers: his dad was a preacher, his uncle was a preacher, his grandfather was a preacher… so maybe he’d become a great preacher too. One day, a friend invited him to play at his house. Martin was shocked when his mother wouldn’t let him in because he was black. That day he realized there was something terribly unfair going on. Martin believed that no one should remain silent and accept something if it’s wrong. And he promised himself that – when he grew up – he’d fight injustice with the most powerful weapon of all: words. This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the inspiring activist’s life.

Review:

This is a great book to teach children about Martin Luther King Jr.

At the beginning of the story, young Martin plays with his friends and doesn’t notice that they look different from him. It isn’t until his friend’s mother won’t allow him into their house that he realizes they are different. This shows how children aren’t naturally racist, but have it taught to them. Martin goes on to fight against prejudice by teaching others.

I always remember learning about Martin Luther King Jr. in school, so I really liked this book. This is a great children’s book.

Thank you Quarto Publishing Group for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Stephen Hawking (Little People, Big Dreams) by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, Matt Hunt

Mahatma Gandhi (Little People, Big Dreams) by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, Albert Arrayas

Have you read Martin Luther King Jr.? What did you think of it?

TBR Thursday – January 9

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 Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A stunning debut for author Evie Dunmore and her Oxford Rebels, in which a fiercely independent vicar’s daughter takes on a duke in a fiery love story that threatens to upend the British social order.

England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women’s suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain’s politics at the Queen’s command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can’t deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.

Sebastian is appalled to find a suffragist squad has infiltrated his ducal home, but the real threat is his impossible feelings for green-eyed beauty Annabelle. He is looking for a wife of equal standing to secure the legacy he has worked so hard to rebuild, not an outspoken commoner who could never be his duchess. But he wouldn’t be the greatest strategist of the Kingdom if he couldn’t claim this alluring bluestocking without the promise of a ring…or could he?

Locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own, Annabelle will learn just what it takes to topple a duke….

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