Jill's Book Blog

First Lines Friday – September 21

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:

“Once upon a time there was a pair of pants. They were an essential kind of pants – jeans, naturally, blue but not that stiff, new blue that you see so often on the first day of school. They were a soft, changeable blue with a little extra fading at the knees and the seat and white wavelets at the cuffs.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

…

And the book is… The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares.

Goodreads synopsis:

FOUR VERY DIFFERENT FRIENDS. ONE PAIR OF MAGICAL PANTS. AND A SUMMER APART …

We, the Sisterhood, hereby instate the following rules to govern the use of the Traveling Pants:

1. You must never wash the Pants.

2. You must never double-cuff the Pants. It’s tacky. There will never be a time when this will not be tacky.

3. You must never say the word “phat” while wearing the Pants. You must also never think “I am fat” while wearing the Pants.

4. You must never let a boy take off the Pants (although you may take them off yourself in his presence).

5. You must not pick your nose while wearing the Pants. You may, however, scratch casually at your nostril while really kind of picking.

6. Upon our reunion, you must follow the proper procedures for documenting your time in the Pants.

7. You must write to your Sisters throughout the summer, no matter how much fun you are having without them.

8. You must pass the Pants along to your Sister according to the specifications set down by the Sisterhood. Failures to comply will result in a sever spanking upon our reunion.

9. You must not wear the Pants with a tucked-in shirt and belt. See rule #2.

10. Remember: Pants = love. Love your pals. Love yourself.

Have you read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? What did you think of it?

Blog Tour Excerpt: The Home

Title: The Home
Author: Karen Osman
Genre: Fiction, Thriller
Publisher: Aria
Release Date: September 4, 2018

Synopsis:

Angela was just a baby when her mum left her for the last time, and a children’s home is no place to grow up. The home’s manager Ray takes the girls off to his ‘den’ in the garden and the littlies come back crying, and Ray’s wife Kath has special wooden spoons which she saves for beating any of the children who dare to misbehave.

So, when wealthy couple James and Rosemary come to choose a child to adopt, Angela is desperate to escape. But the scars of her childhood remain, and when Angela’s search for her birth mother Evelyn is successful, their reunion is no fairy tale. Soon strange and sinister events start to unfold, and Evelyn fears she may not survive her daughter’s return…

The Home is another devastating psychological thriller from the author of the bestselling The Good Mother.

Extract:

Monday 19 January 1970

Dear Diary,

Today is my birthday – I am nine years old. Nelly gave me her favourite marble as a present. It’s yellow like a daffodil and the only thing I own, apart from this diary. I need to hide it otherwise Peter might steal it. He has a huge collection, which he says he won in bets but everyone knows he steals. Apparently, he keeps his loot under his bed. We don’t get birthday presents but when I got back from school for tea Fat Franny gave me the biggest piece of chicken. When she’s not clipping me round the ear, she’s all right really. Better than Nasty Nora anyway – she didn’t even say Happy Birthday.

Saturday 14 February 1970

Dear Diary,

Yesterday, we had to make Valentine’s Day cards at school. When Snapper asked who I was going to give it to, I said Nelly and everyone laughed and Peter started chanting lesbian! lesbian!at the top of his voice and the whole class joined in. Mrs Thistlethwaite had to snap her ruler on the desk so hard it broke. Nelly said to ignore them. Peter is going to be so sorry.

Friday 27 February 1970

Dear Diary,

After school, me and Nelly went ice-skating on the lake in the park. We don’t have skates, we just slide on our feet. I saw Peter and his mates skating as well. As soon as I got close to him I pushed him and he went flying head first onto the ice. It was so funny! I couldn’t stop laughing but Nelly said I pushed him too hard and he could have really hurt himself. His friends had to pick him up off the ice and when he stood up he had blood on his forehead. Nelly said she doesn’t want to be friends with a bully. I don’t care – I bet he won’t call me a lesbian in front of the whole class again.

Monday 2 March 1970

Dear Diary,

A horrid day – Nelly wasn’t talking to me and Peter had to stay home. When I got back after school, Nasty Nora was waiting for me. I knew I was in trouble. Somehow she must have found out what I did to Peter. Maybe Nelly told her. As soon as I got through the door, Nasty Nora grabbed me by the hair and dragged me into her office. She didn’t even ask me what had happened, just gave me the strap. I didn’t cry but that seemed to make her even angrier as she gave me a few extra welts. Luckily, there was a knock on the door and Nelly told Nasty Nora she was needed immediately as there was a fire in the kitchen. Nasty Nora ran out and Nelly after her. I was in so much pain I had to force myself to walk to the kitchen. There was a small fire in the sink. Later, Nelly told me that she had stolen Peter’s lighter from under his bed. I think Nelly’s my friend again – it’s not easy to get in the boys’ dorm – she must have stolen the key from Fat Franny. My bum hurts so much I’m going to have to sleep on my front for a week.

Monday 30 March 1970

Dear Diary,

It’s Easter Monday. Nasty Nora and Fat Franny let us join in the Easter Egg hunt in the park. Nelly won a Cadbury’s Easter Egg and she shared it with me. After the hunt, we rolled down the hill – it was great fun. We are off school for one more week. In the morning, we have to do chores but in the afternoons me and Nelly sell lemonade. So far we’ve made five shillings. At the end of the week, we’re going to go to Woolworths to buy sweets – I can’t wait!

Tuesday 7 April 1970

Dear Diary,

I hate Nasty Nora – when she found out we were selling lemonade, she took all our money and told us it was her payment for looking after us all the time. Nelly said that we can make a plan to get it back but I told Nelly that she will know it’s us if we take it. I had a better idea – I put itching powder in Nasty Nora’s bed and when she woke up the next morning she was red and sore all over and scratching like a cat! And the best part? She has no idea who did it! Nelly was worried but I told her she deserved it. That’ll teach Nasty Nora to steal!

Tuesday 5 May 1970

Dear Diary,

Nothing interesting to write about today. After morning inspection, we went to school, did our chores and then played in the den until dark. One good thing that happened was that we had potatoes, meat, vegetables, AND custard for tea!

Saturday 6 June 1970

Dear Diary,

Baby Carole was adopted this morning. We all waved her off. A man and a lady came to collect her. The lady smelt sweet, like candy floss. I tried to talk to her to tell her that Baby Carole would need an older sister to help take care of her but Fat Franny told me to scoot quick smart. Candy floss lady was wearing a red coat. When I grow up, I’m going to have ten coats in all the colours of the rainbow. Me and Nelly watched them leave from the window. I wonder if Baby Carole will get a bicycle like Nelly did?

About the Author:

Originally from the UK, Karen won the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature Montegrappa Novel Writing Award 2016 with her crime-thriller novel, the bestselling The Good Mother. When she’s not writing novels, Karen is busy bringing up her two young children and running her communication business Travel Ink.

Follow Karen

Twitter: @KarenAuthor
Facebook: @KarenOsmanAuthor

Buy links

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2LmFsya
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2JwcDgS
iBooks: https://apple.co/2wi8ngo
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Npi9of

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com
Twitter: @aria_fiction
Facebook: @ariafiction
Instagram: @ariafiction

Review: Goldie Vance, Vol.2

Title: Goldie Vance, Vol. 2
Author: Hope Larson, Brittany Williams, Sarah Stern
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: BOOM! Box
Source: Library
Release Date: May 9, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Nancy who? Goldie Vance is on the case! The adventures of the teen sleuth continue in this second volume of the hit comic book series.

The adventures of Goldie Vance, teen super sleuth, continue in the second volume of this hit comic adventure. Collects issues #5-8 of the series.

Sixteen-year-old Marigold “Goldie” Vance lives at a Florida resort with her dad, who manages the place. Her mom, who divorced her dad years ago, works as a live mermaid at a club downtown. Goldie has an insatiable curiosity, which explains her dream to one day become the hotel’s in-house detective. When Charles, the current detective, encounters a case he can’t crack, he agrees to mentor Goldie in exchange for her help solving the mystery.

Eisner Award-winning writer Hope Larson (A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel) and artist Brittney Williams (Patsy Walker, A.K.A Hellcat!) present the newest gal sleuth on the block with Goldie Vance, an exciting, whodunnit adventure.

Review:

This is the second book in the Goldie Vance series.

I didn’t like this book as much as the first one. The mystery that Goldie had to solve was anticlimactic. She investigated a girl who washed up on the beach in an astronaut suit. The story started off exciting with the discovery of the astronaut, but I didn’t really understand the ending.

Goldie’s friend, Cheryl, wants to be an astronaut, so she was very excited when she saw the astronaut girl. One thing I didn’t understand was the connection that Goldie found between Cheryl and the mystery girl. They both competed in beauty pageants. I’m not sure why this storyline seemed to disappear by the end of the story, because it was an interesting clue, but it didn’t seem to lead anywhere.

I hope the mystery is better in the next volume.

TBR Thursday – September 20

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 Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Before Miss Peregrine gave them a home, the story of peculiars was written in the Tales.

Wealthy cannibals who dine on the discarded limbs of peculiars. A fork-tongued princess. The origins of the first ymbryne. These are but a few of the truly brilliant stories in Tales of the Peculiar—known to hide information about the peculiar world—first introduced by Ransom Riggs in his Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series.

Riggs now invites you to share his secrets of peculiar history, with a collection of original stories, as collected and annotated by Millard Nullings, ward of Miss Peregrine and scholar of all things peculiar.

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

Review: Pickled Watermelon

Title: Pickled Watermelon
Author: Esty Schachter
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing
Source: Thomas Allen & Son (book distributor)
Release Date: August 1, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

It’s the summer of 1986, and eleven-year-old Molly just wants to spend the summer with her friends at camp. Instead, she reluctantly heads to Israel to visit family she barely knows! With a less-than-basic knowledge of Hebrew that she picked up in Hebrew school, Molly wonders how she will be able to communicate and have fun in a country that is new and foreign to her. Luckily, surprises are in store.

Review:

I enjoyed this story about a girl who travels to Israel with her family.

I learned a lot about Israeli culture from this book. I have never read a book set in Israel before, so it was new to me. Molly was also discovering new aspects of her culture, because her mother’s family lived differently from her father’s family in the United States.

I’m curious as to why the story was set in 1986, rather than today. Perhaps this reflects a real trip that the author took. This setting put the characters in a unique position in time. Molly’s parents lived through the after effects of World War II, and her grandparents lived through it. That close relationship to WWII wouldn’t have been apparent if the young girl was living in today’s world.

This is a great story for middle grade readers.

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – September 19

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 What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.

Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.

But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?

Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated.

Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.

But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third?

What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough?

What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play?

But what if it is?

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: Kens

Title: Kens
Author: Raziel Reid
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher
Release Date: September 18, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Heterosexuality is so last season: Kens is the gay Heathers meets Mean Girls, a shocking parody for a whole new generation.

Every high school has the archetypical Queen B and her minions. In Kens, the high school hierarchy has been reimagined. Willows High is led by Ken Hilton, and he makes Regina George from Mean Girls look like a saint. Ken Hilton rules Willows High with his carbon-copies, Ken Roberts and Ken Carson, standing next to his throne. It can be hard to tell the Kens apart. There are minor differences in each edition, but all Kens are created from the same mold, straight out of Satan’s doll factory. Soul sold separately.

Tommy Rawlins can’t help but compare himself to these shimmering images of perfection that glide through the halls. He’s desperate to fit in, but in a school where the Kens are queens who are treated like Queens, Tommy is the uncool gay kid. A once-in-a-lifetime chance at becoming a Ken changes everything for Tommy, just as his eye is caught by the tall, dark, handsome new boy, Blaine. Has Blaine arrived in time to save him from the Kens? Tommy has high hopes for their future together, but when their shared desire to overthrow Ken Hilton takes a shocking turn, Tommy must decide how willing he is to reinvent himself — inside and out. Is this new version of Tommy everything he’s always wanted to be, or has he become an unknowing and submissive puppet in a sadistic plan?

Review:

I loved this satire. It has the subject matter of Mean Girls, with the satirical style of Animal Farm.

The popular boys at school are called the Kens. Many of the characters are named after characters in the Barbie world, including Ken, Barbie, Tutti, Todd, and Tommy. I loved this throwback to the dolls of my childhood!

In this world, the Kens are the most popular kids in school, so everyone wants to be them. The three Kens had plastic surgery to look exactly the same, and they all changed their names to Ken. The Kens are also gay, so everyone wants to be gay too. There is even one boy who pretends to be gay, but he is secretly heterosexual.

I loved the satire aspects of the story. It starts out very much like the story of the movie Mean Girls. Tommy wants to be just like the Kens, and one day he gets his wish. However, everything goes wrong when one person in the school dies. The power of the Kens becomes apparent, and it isn’t necessarily a good thing.

This is a great story! I loved it!

Top Ten Tuesday – Books On My Fall 2018 TBR

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 Books On My Fall 2018 TBR. There are so many good books coming out this year, it’s hard to pick just 10! Here’s my list:

1. What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

2. Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

3. The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth

4. A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

5. The Devil’s Thief (The Last Magician #2) by Lisa Maxwell

6. The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout

7. Wildcard by Marie Lu

8. A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

9. Damsel by Elana K. Arnold

10. Pride by Ibi Zoboi

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

Review: Mortals and Immortals of Greek Mythology

Title: Mortals and Immortals of Greek Mythology
Author: Françoise Rachnuhl, Charlotte Gastaut
Genre: Children’s, Mythology
Publisher: Lion Forge
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: September 18, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In Greek myths, extraordinary men and women are distinguished from other mortals: they are the heroes. Sometimes helped by the gods and sometimes hindered, they perform extraordinary exploits of strength, bravery, or intelligence. Jason, Theseus, Helen, Achilles, and Atalanta are among these mythical figures. The stories of the Greek mortals and immortals, and their legendary exploits, tower as tall now as they have for thousands of years! Alternately rivals or allies, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes, Artemis, Apollo, and Dionysus form a restless family, which Zeus sometimes has trouble appeasing. But the king of the gods is far from irreproachable himself! Join these twelve gods at the top of Olympus, where they will give you all their secrets, even the most incredible ones. Never have these classic stories of Greek gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, been so sumptuously illustrated. All your favorites are here, but this beautiful art and design will make you want to learn their stories all over again.

Review:

I love Greek mythology. I would have loved this book when I was a kid. My first introduction to Greek mythology was reading the book series Dolphin Diaries, where the dolphin was named after Apollo.

This book was filled with short origin stories of the Greek gods. They were each just a few pages long and told the most exciting stories about them. There were also some important mortals included at the end of the book including Jason, Achilles, Theseus, Helen and Atalanta.

I loved the way the stories were simplified for children to read. I found it funny when the male gods were described as having “adventures” which ended in them having children. It was a euphemism for when they would assume a mortal form and seduce a woman, but I found it funny to call them adventures.

I enjoyed this book. It’s a great guide to Greek mythology for young kids.

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – September 17

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 Kens by Raziel Reid.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading Pickled Watermelon by Esty Schachter.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading The Iron Flower (The Black Witch Chronicles #2) by Laurie Forest.

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

Goodreads synopsis:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Goldie Vance, Vol. 3 by Hope Larson, Brittany Williams, and Sarah Stern

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Big Lie by Anthony Del Col

Goodreads Synopsis:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol

Anya’s Echoes by Esty Schachter

Goodreads Synopsis:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid

Mean Girls by Micol Ostow

1. What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

2. Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

3. The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth

4. A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

5. The Devil’s Thief (The Last Magician #2) by Lisa Maxwell

6. The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout

7. Wildcard by Marie Lu

8. A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

9. Damsel by Elana K. Arnold

10. Pride by Ibi Zoboi

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters by Donna Jo Napoli

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan

What I just finished:

What I’m currently reading:

What I’m reading next: