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: ★★★★
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?
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.
“Our cousins have done this program,” Sophie whispers. “Best kept secret. Zerosupervision.”
And just like that, Ever Wong’s summer takes an unexpected turn. Gone 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?
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.
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?
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: ★★★★
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 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.
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?
Title: The Family Upstairs Author: Lisa Jewell Genre: Thriller Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: November 5, 2019 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
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.
Review:
This was such a creepy story.
There were three different alternating narratives. Two were in third person, and followed Libby and Lucy. The third narrative was in first person, told by Henry. It took a while for these narratives to come together, but each story was thrilling in itself.
There were so many creepy parts to the story. I couldn’t figure out how everyone was related for a long time, but I really wanted to find out. I couldn’t put the book down.
I highly recommend this book if you like fast paced thrillers!
Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
The Au Pair by Emma Rous
Have you read The Family Upstairs? What did you think of it?
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 Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin. The expected publication date is February 4, 2020.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Elle and her friends Mads, Jenny, and Summer rule their glittering LA circle. Untouchable, they have the kind of power other girls only dream of. Every party is theirs and the world is at their feet. Until the night of Elle’s sweet sixteen, when they crash a St. Andrew’s Prep party. The night the golden boys choose Elle as their next target.
They picked the wrong girl.
Sworn to vengeance, Elle transfers to St. Andrew’s. She plots to destroy each boy, one by one. She’ll take their power, their lives, and their control of the prep school’s hierarchy. And she and her coven have the perfect way in: a boy named Mack, whose ambition could turn deadly.
Foul is Fair is a bloody, thrilling revenge fantasy for the girls who have had enough. Golden boys beware: something wicked this way comes.
Title: Me and Banksy Author: Tanya Lloyd Kyi Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary Publisher: Puffin Books Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: January 7, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
A Banksy-style protest against cameras in classrooms brings a group of middle-grade students together. For fans of Rebecca Stead, Susin Nielsen and Gordon Korman.
Dominica’s private school is covered in cameras, and someone is hacking into them and posting embarrassing moments for the whole school to see. Like Ana picking her nose. When Dominica quickly changes her shirt from inside out in what she thinks is the privacy of a quiet corner in the library, she’s shocked — and embarrassed — to discover a video has captured this and is currently circulating amongst her schoolmates. So mortifying, especially since over the past three years, they’ve had a half-dozen school talks about social media safety.
Who has access to the school security cameras and why are they doing this? Dominica and her best friends, Holden and Saanvi, are determined to find out, and in the process start an art-based student campaign against cameras in the classroom.
Review:
This book tackles the tough issues of cyber bullying and cyber security in schools.
Dominica and her friends are targeted by a cyber bully, who is posting embarrassing images of them online. They discover that the images were taken from the school’s security cameras. They stage a protest to show how damaging the security cameras are to the students and teachers.
These are important issues for children to be aware of today. Just because the school administration in this book thought the cameras in classrooms and hallways would keep children safe, that doesn’t mean they’re right. The cameras actually posed a threat to students when the embarrassing images were leaked. The cameras also made the teachers and students alter their behavior in class because they knew they were being watched at all times. Though there are some advantages to cyber security, it can be dangerous in the wrong hands.
I really liked this story!
Thank you Penguin Random House for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Mya’s Strategy to Save the World by Tanya Lloyd Kyi
Unplugged and Unpopular by Mat Heagerty, Tintin Pantoja, Mike Amante
Have you read Me and Banksy? What did you think of it?
Jill's Book Blog 