Jill's Book Blog

Review: Jughead, Vol. 2

Title: Jughead, Vol. 2
Author: Chip Zdarsky, Ryan North, Derek Charm
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Archie Comics
Source: Library
Format: ebook
Release Date: March 14, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

JUGHEAD VOL. 2 is the second collection of the historic JUGHEAD series relaunch, featuring the talents of comics superstars Chip Zdarsky, Ryan North and Derek Charm. This series is true to the spirit and characters that all Jughead and Archie fans know and love while reinvigorating its essence and humor through the talents of some of the most popular creators in the comic book industry. In the grand tradition of comic book reboots like ARCHIE VOL. 1, Archie Comics proudly presents… JUGHEAD VOL. 2–from the super team of Chip Zdarsky (HOWARD THE DUCK), Ryan North (THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL) and Derek Charm (REGULAR SHOW)! New story! New arc! New creative team! Let’s not compare them too harshly with the old creative team though–they were awesome. This new team is pretty good too though, lots of talent and they really do try their best.

Collects issues #7-11

Review:

This is an awesome Jughead collection!

These comics were much funnier than the first volume. It starts out with Jughead and Archie getting lost in the woods. They come across Mr. Weatherbee, who helps them escape. It was different for Mr. Weatherbee to interact with them outside of school. His wife even made an appearance!

In the last half of the volume, Jughead goes on a date with a girl who works as a hamburger mascot for Pop Tate. The girl ends up being Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Jughead doesn’t make the best date, so she has to try to get revenge.

I loved this book! I highly recommend it to fans of Archie Comics!

What to read next:

Jughead, Vol. 3 by Ryan North, Ian Flynn, Mark Waid, Derek Charm

Have you read Jughead, Vol. 3? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – November 17

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 two books on NetGalley:

Sliding Home by Joyce Grant

You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn

Thank you James Lorimer & Company and St. Martin’s Press for copies of these books!

What books did you get this week?

Review: Father Christmas and Me (Christmas #3)

Title: Father Christmas and Me (Christmas #3)
Author: Matt Haig
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Canongate Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: ebook
Release Date: October 16, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

It isn’t always easy, growing up as a human in Elfhelm, even if your adoptive parents are the newly married Father Christmas and Mary Christmas.

For one thing, Elf School can be annoying when you have to sing Christmas songs everyday – even in July – and when you fail all your toy-making tests. Also it can get very, very cold.

But when the jealous Easter Bunny and his rabbit army launch an attack to stop Christmas, it’s up to Amelia, her new family and the elves to keep Christmas alive. Before it’s too late . . .

Review:

This is another amazing Christmas story from Matt Haig! There were funny parts and sad parts. I don’t normally like reading sad stories, especially sad Christmas stories. Many of them seem to pull on your heartstrings. The sad parts of this story were resolved, so I wasn’t left feeling down. I liked the addition of the Easter Bunny in this story. He isn’t the loving bunny that he usually is in stories. Instead he was more of an evil dictator. That was an amusing twist on the holiday story. I also love the Truth Pixie who appeared in this story. She’s so funny because she can only tell the truth and she must answer all questions. I really enjoyed this book! This is a great series for the holidays!

What to read next:

Have you read Father Christmas and Me? What did you think of it?

First Lines Friday – November 16

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:

“‘Jasper!’ Imogene Chively shouted as she jumped to her feet, flinging her sketch into the grass. ‘Don’t move! Stay. Stay exactly where you are!’ Grabbing her skirts ankle-height with one hand and desperately waving the other, she raced across the courtyard of the old castle. ‘Emily, help!’ she shouted over her shoulder without a backward glance.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

…

And the book is… Suitors and Sabotage by Cindy Anstey.

Goodreads synopsis:

Shy aspiring artist Imogene Chively has just had a successful Season in London, complete with a suitor of her father’s approval. Imogene is ambivalent about the young gentleman until he comes to visit her at the Chively estate with his younger brother in tow. When her interest is piqued, however, it is for the wrong brother.

Charming Ben Steeple has a secret: despite being an architectural apprentice, he has no drawing aptitude. When Imogene offers to teach him, Ben is soon smitten by the young lady he considers his brother’s intended.

But hiding their true feelings becomes the least of their problems when, after a series of “accidents,” it becomes apparent that someone means Ben harm. And as their affection for each other grows—despite their efforts to remain just friends—so does the danger. . .

Have you read Suitors and Sabotage? What did you think of it?

Review: Pest Control

Title: Doctor Who: Pest Control
Author: Peter Anghelides (narrated by David Tennant)
Genre: Science Fiction, Audiobooks
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks
Source: Purchased
Format: audiobook
Release Date: May 8, 2008
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The TARDIS is lost in battle on a distant planet. When the Doctor sets off in pursuit, Donna is left behind, and finds herself accepting a commission in the Pioneer Corps. Something is transforming soldiers into monstrous beetles, and she could be the next victim. Meanwhile, the Doctor steals a motorbike and stages a jailbreak. Well, how hard can it be to find the TARDIS, rescue Donna, and negotiate a peace? But that’s before the arrival of a brutal and remorseless mechanical exterminator, bent on wiping out the insects. It may be that nothing can stop it, because this robot’s solution for the infestation is very simple: kill everything. Featuring the Doctor and Donna, as played by David Tennant and Catherine Tate in the hit series from BBC Television, this story has been written specially for audio, and is read by David Tennant.

Review:

I love these Doctor Who audiobooks.

This one was narrated by David Tennant, who played the Tenth Doctor. He was my favourite Doctor. I was shocked at first to hear him narrating the story in his Scottish accent! I wasn’t expecting that since he has an English accent on the show.

I found the story a little confusing at times, because there were some unusual new creatures in the story. However, Tennant did a great job of giving each character a distinctive voice, which made the story very entertaining.

This was a great story for fans of the show.

What to read next:

Doctor Who: Dead Air by James Goss (narrated by David Tennant)

Doctor Who: The Forever Trap by Dan Abnett (narrated by Catherine Tate)

Have you listened to Doctor Who: Pest Control? What did you think of it?

TBR Thursday – November 15

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 Ash Princess (Ash Princess Trilogy #1) by Laura Sebastian.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess–a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn’t always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

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

Review: El Deafo

Title: El Deafo
Author: Cece Bell
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Amulet Books
Source: Library
Format: ebook
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Starting at a new school is scary, even more so with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. Here she is different. She is sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends.

Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but anywhere her teacher is in school–in the hallway…in the teacher’s lounge…in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All. But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it’s just another way of feeling different… and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend?

This funny perceptive graphic novel memoir about growing up hearing impaired is also an unforgettable book about growing up, and all the super and super embarrassing moments along the way.

Review:

This is an amazing book! This book is based on the life of the author, Cece, who lost her hearing as a child due to an illness. Hearing is something that a lot of people take for granted (I know I do) so this book was a huge eye opener. There are many different types of hearing loss, and different ways to cope with it. I felt so many different emotions while reading this book. The beginning was sad, because Cece had trouble adjusting to her hearing loss. She felt self conscious about her hearing aids. However, I loved the ending. It was so comforting. I highly recommend this book for kids and adults.

What to read next:

**Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L.Holm, Matthew Holm**

Have you read El Deafo? What did you think of it?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – November 14

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 My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life by Rachel Cohn.

Goodreads Synopsis:

“I’m here to take you to live with your father. In Tokyo, Japan! Happy birthday!”

In the Land of the Rising Sun, where high culture meets high kitsch, and fashion and technology are at the forefront of the First World’s future, the foreign-born teen elite attend ICS-the International Collegiate School of Tokyo. Their accents are fluid. Their homes are ridiculously posh. Their sports games often involve a (private) plane trip to another country. They miss school because of jet lag and visa issues. When they get in trouble, they seek diplomatic immunity.

Enter foster-kid-out-of-water Elle Zoellner, who, on her sixteenth birthday discovers that her long-lost father, Kenji Takahari, is actually a Japanese hotel mogul and wants her to come live with him. Um, yes, please! Elle jets off first class from Washington D.C. to Tokyo, which seems like a dream come true. Until she meets her enigmatic father, her way-too-fab aunt, and her hyper-critical grandmother, who seems to wish Elle didn’t exist. In an effort to please her new family, Elle falls in with the Ex-Brats, a troupe of uber-cool international kids who spend money like it’s air. But when she starts to crush on a boy named Ryuu, who’s frozen out by the Brats and despised by her new family, her already tenuous living situation just might implode.

My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life is about learning what it is to be a family, and finding the inner strength to be yourself, even in the most extreme circumstances.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: Dumplin’ (Dumplin’ #1)

Title: Dumplin’ (Dumplin’ #1)
Author: Julie Murphy
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.

Review:

I loved this book!

I didn’t know much about this story before I started reading it, but I had heard it was good. Will was an inspiring character, who I loved. I could relate to her immediately. She was inspiring, even when she made mistakes.

I’m excited to watch the movie adaptation next month! I kept trying to imagine the actors in these roles while I was reading it. I can’t wait to see it.

The book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I’ll have to read the sequel soon!

Top Ten Tuesday – Popular Books I Haven’t Read Yet

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 Bookish Items/Merchandise I’d Like To Own, but I changed it to Popular Books I Haven’t Read Yet. Here’s my list: