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 is Rainy Day Reads. This is a perfect list for this week because it’s raining all week in Toronto! These are books that are hard to put down, so they’re perfect for a rainy day when you have lots of time to read. Here’s my list:
1. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
2. An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
3. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
4. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Title: Restore Me (Shatter Me #4) Author: Tahereh Mafi Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction Publisher: HarperCollins Source: Purchased Format: Hardcover Release Date: March 6, 2018 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Juliette Ferrars thought she’d won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander, and now has Warner by her side. But she’s still the girl with the ability to kill with a single touch—and now she’s got the whole world in the palm of her hand. When tragedy hits, who will she become? Will she be able to control the power she wields and use it for good?
Review:
This was an amazing story in the Shatter Me series! The first three books can be read as a trilogy. This continuation of the series is even better than the first three books.
Even though so much happens in the first three books, there is still an entire world to discover in this one. The first trilogy was centred around Juliette in Sector 45. This story explores the leaders of the other continents. There was so much information that Juliette didn’t know, and that we learn along with her.
This story was different from the other ones because the chapters alternate between Juliette’s and Warner’s points of view. There are betrayals and lots of new discoveries to be made, so it was important that the two different perspectives be shown in this story. It’s also great to see Warner’s narrative again. He was the narrator in the novella Destroy Me. He’s a complicated character and I love reading his scenes.
I loved this book! I’m so glad I’m almost caught up! I can’t wait to see what happens next.
What to read next:
Shadow Me (Shatter Me #4.5) by Tahereh Mafi
Defy Me (Shatter Me #5) by Tahereh Mafi
Have you read Restore Me? What did you think of it?
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 Restore Me (Shatter Me #4) by Tahereh Mafi.
What I’m currently reading:
I’m currently reading The Hummingbird Dagger by Cindy Anstey.
What I’m reading next:
Next I will be reading The Temptation of Gracie by Santa Montefiore.
What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?
Title: The Agony of Bun O’Keefe Author: Heather Smith Genre: Young Adult Publisher: Razorbill Canada Source: Library Format: Ebook Release Date: September 5, 2017 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Set in 1980s Newfoundland, The Agony of Bun O’Keefe is the story of a 14-year-old girl who runs away to the city and is taken in by a street musician who lives with an eclectic cast of characters: a pot smoking dishwasher with culinary dreams; a drag queen with a tragic past; a Catholic school girl desperately trying to reinvent herself; and a man who Bun is told to avoid at all cost.
Review:
After reading Chicken Girl, I wanted to check out Heather Smith’s other books. I loved this one!
This story had a diverse cast of characters, who lived in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Bun runs away from home and ends up moving in with a busker she meets on the street. He lives with a variety of people, including a guy who dresses up in drag as Cher and a chef. The Busker boy is Native Canadian. Bun comes from a mother who was a hoarder. There were many tough issues discussed in this story, including suicide.
I loved Bun! She had a childlike innocence, even though she was fourteen. She didn’t have experience in schools, because she was only sent to kindergarten. She was educated by movies that she memorized. She took everything literally, which created some funny misunderstandings. She read and memorized the dictionary for fun. I loved her innocence. She had to grow up physically and emotionally in this story.
I loved this book! I highly recommend it!
What to read next:
Chicken Girl by Heather Smith
Baygirl by Heather Smith
Have you read The Agony of Bun O’Keefe? What did you think of it?
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 Restore Me (Shatter Me #4) by Tahereh Mafi.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Juliette Ferrars thought she’d won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander, and now has Warner by her side. But she’s still the girl with the ability to kill with a single touch—and now she’s got the whole world in the palm of her hand. When tragedy hits, who will she become? Will she be able to control the power she wields and use it for good?
Title: Stay Up with Hugo Best Author: Erin Somers Genre: Fiction, Literary Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: April 2, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
An incredibly timely, terrifically witty and moving debut about a young writer’s assistant on a late night comedy show and what transpires when she accepts an invitation from its enigmatic host to spend a long weekend at his mansion in Connecticut.
June Bloom is a broke, cynical twenty-nine-year-old writer’s assistant on the late-night comedy show, Stay Up with Hugo Best. Hugo Best is in his sixties, a beloved icon of TV and humor, and a notorious womanizer. After he unexpectedly retires and a party is held for his now unemployed staff, June ends up at a dive bar for an open-mic night and prepares for the sad return to the anonymous comedian lifestyle. What she’s not prepared for is a run-in with Hugo at that dive bar. Nor for the invitation that swiftly follows: Hugo asks June to come to his mansion in Greenwich for the long Memorial Day weekend. “No funny business,” he insists.
June, in need of a job and money, confident she can handle herself, but secretly harboring the remains of a childhood crush on the charming older comedian and former role model, accepts. The exact terms of the visit are never spelled out, but June is realistic and clear-eyed enough to guess. Even so, as the weekend unfolds and the enigmatic Hugo gradually reveals himself, their dynamic proves to be much more complicated and less predictable than she expected.
At once hilarious and poignant, brilliantly incisive and terrifically propulsive, Stay Up with Hugo Best is an incredibly timely exploration of sexual politics in the #MeToo age, and the unforgettable story of one young woman’s poignant stumbling into adulthood.
Review:
I enjoyed this new literary story. It has some humourous parts, but it is also sad.
The characters developed in different directions in the story. It takes place over a weekend, but you really get to know them in that short period of time. June goes from a quiet assistant writer to a confident young woman. Meanwhile, Hugo moves from being a late night comedian to a lonely, friendless old man. June grew up, while Hugo deflated.
Some of the story was difficult to read. There were some depressing parts. June gets to live this fancy life for a weekend, where she can pretty much have anything she wants. However, she knows it will end. She has always idolized Hugo, but he isn’t really the person she has always fantasized about. Hugo loses his career and his friends over the space of a few days. They have both lost their jobs, but June’s youth gives hope for her future.
This was a good story with a satisfying ending.
Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
The Showrunner by Kim Moritsugu
Have you read Stay Up with Hugo Best? 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 received a book in the mail from Penguin Random House Canada:
A Good Enough Mother by Bed Thomas
I was approved for five books via NetGalley from Penguin Random House Canada:
Megabat and Fancy Cat by Anna Humphrey, Kass Reich (illustrator)
Mya’s Strategy to Save the World by Tanya Lloyd Kyi
Shout Out For the Fitzgerald-Trouts by Esta Spalding, Lee Catlin (illustrator)
A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong
Broken Strings by Eric Walters, Kathy Kacer
I was approved for a book via NetGalley from Simon and Schuster Canada:
The Last Resort by Marissa Stapley
Thank you Penguin Random House Canada and Simon and Schuster Canada for these books!
Title: Serious Moonlight Author: Jenn Bennett Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: April 16, 2019 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel from the author of Alex, Approximately.
Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.
In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.
To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.
Review:
This was a great story!
I loved the mystery parts of the story. Birdie is a fan of mystery books. She has a huge collection of Nancy Drew books. I loved those same books when I was a kid so I could relate to her love of mysteries. Birdie got to live a real life mystery when she investigated a person who Daniel thought was an anonymous author who lives in Seattle. I liked the idea that they could try to find the man who writes under a pseudonym. However, it didn’t end the way they thought it would.
The story had some romance as well as suspense. I was rooting for Birdie and Daniel. They both had tragic pasts, so I wanted them to find some happiness together. There was also some representation of someone who had narcolepsy. There are a lot of side effects to the disorder that I didn’t know before.
I really enjoyed this story! It’s a great romance with a bit of mystery.
What to read next:
Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
Have you read Serious Moonlight? What did you think of it?
