Jill's Book Blog

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – July 25

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 Odd One Out by Nic Stone.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martincomes this illuminating exploration of old friendships, new crushes, and the path to self-discovery.

Courtney “Coop” Cooper
Dumped. Again. And normally I wouldn’t mind. But right now, my best friend and source of solace, Jupiter Sanchez, is ignoring me to text some girl.

Rae Evelyn Chin
I assumed “new girl” would be synonymous with “pariah,” but Jupiter and Courtney make me feel like I’m right where I belong. I also want to kiss him. And her. Which is . . . perplexing.

Jupiter Charity-Sanchez
The only thing worse than losing the girl you love to a boy is losing her to your boy. That means losing him, too. I have to make a move. . . .

One story.
Three sides.
No easy answers.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge

Title: Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge
Author: Lisa Jensen
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Filled with magic and fierce emotion, Lisa Jensen’s multilayered novel will make you question all you think you know about beauty, beastliness, and happily ever after.

They say Château Beaumont is cursed. But servant-girl Lucie can’t believe such foolishness about handsome Jean-Loup Christian Henri LeNoir, Chevalier de Beaumont, master of the estate. But when the chevalier’s cruelty is revealed, Lucie vows to see him suffer. A wisewoman grants her wish, with a spell that transforms Jean-Loup into monstrous-looking Beast, reflecting the monster he is inside. But Beast is nothing like the chevalier. Jean-Loup would never patiently tend his roses; Jean-Loup would never attempt poetry; Jean-Loup would never express remorse for the wrong done to Lucie. Gradually, Lucie realizes that Beast is an entirely different creature from the handsome chevalier, with a heart more human than Jean-Loup’s ever was. Lucie dares to hope that noble Beast has permanently replaced the cruel Jean-Loup — until an innocent beauty arrives at Beast’s château with the power to break the spell.

Review:

This is an original retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but it didn’t work for me.

The story started off well. I liked the upstairs/downstairs aspects, where Lucie had to view the Chevalier from afar because she was a maid. But he wasn’t who she expected.

There was a sexual assault, which made me feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t the actual assault, but her reaction to it. She just wanted revenge in any possible way. Lucie was blinded by this idea of revenge, so she didn’t even notice other things that were happening around her.

There was a lot of description in this story. The mansion and the grounds were described in a lot of detail, mostly because the main character couldn’t speak for most of the story (you’d have to read it to understand why). This was great because I could imagine everything, but I would have liked to have more tension to move the story along. It would have been more powerful if there was less description and more action.

I won’t spoil the ending but the Beast wasn’t who she thought he was. The way the story ended was unique, but I couldn’t get into the rest of the story.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books with Sensory Reading Memories

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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 with Sensory Reading Memories. Here’s my list:

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

I remember when I first read this book with my dad when I was 7 years old. We both had to guess how to pronounce some of the names, like Hermione, but now this book is a huge part of my life.

2. Mole and Shrew All Year Through by Jackie French Koller

My mom and I first read this book when I was about 6, and we laughed so hard! I still laugh when I think of this book!

3. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems

My publishing teacher read this book to my class a couple of years ago and it was amazing! She did the best voice for the pigeon! Now, whenever I see one of these books in a bookstore, I have to read it, and I can hear her voice.

4. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

I read this whole book on the plane ride from Miami to Toronto a couple of years ago. I flew through it! (Pun intended 😉)

5. Shadowland (The Mediator #1) by Meg Cabot

This book makes it onto a lot of my top ten lists because I love it so much! It is the first series that I remember having to go out every weekend to buy the next book as soon as I finished the one I was reading. I absolutely love this series (I even named one of my teddy bears Jesse after Jesse Da Silva, and for years my mom thought that he was named after Jesse McCartney! Haha!).

6. Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

This was one of the first books I read with serious themes, because all of the main characters have attempted suicide. I can still remember the way my mouth dropped open when I read the twist at the end. You should definitely check it out if you haven’t read it.

7. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

This is a great summer book! I read it the summer I went to Cancun when I was 12 years old. It’s the perfect beach read!

8. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

These books are so good! I laughed so hard at this book, and all the others in the series. I remember learning so much from the glossary, because I didn’t know many British terms when I first read the book. I highly recommend these books for a good laugh.

9. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

My friend discovered this book when it first came out, when we were in middle school. I got it for my birthday and we became obsessed with it. This was years before the movie was even talked about. I feel like the it was ruined by all the hype, but we had a few years to enjoy it.

10. Victoria by Daisy Goodwin

I bought this book in London a couple of years ago, before it was released in Canada. I loved it!

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

The Archies & Other Stories

Title: The Archies & Other Stories
Author: Mark Waid, Alex Segura, Joe Eisma
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Archie Comics
Source: Library
Release Date: October 3, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Join in the fun of THE ARCHIES along with BIG MOOSE along with the horrific JUGHEAD: THE HUNGER in this graphic novel collection spotlighting Archie Comics’ hit one-shot series!

THE ARCHIES: Follow Archie’s quest to make his songwriting dreams a reality, and see what happens when the rock ‘n’ roll dream starts affecting his relationships with his closest friends. Join co-writers Alex Segura and Matthew Rosenberg (Marvel’s Kingpin, Rocket Raccoon) and artist Joe Eisma (Morning Glories) for a power-pop one-shot that goes loud on the music, fun and friendship.

BIG MOOSE: Riverdale’s resident jock gets the spotlight in this special one-shot where everything’s Moose! Stories by Sean Ryan, Ryan Cady and Gorf with art by Cory Smith, Thomas Pitilli and Wilfredo Torres!

JUGHEAD THE HUNGER: Jughead Jones has always had an insatiable appetite… but what if his hunger came from a sinister place? When a murderous menace is on the prowl, taking the lives of some of the most well-known and esteemed inhabitants of Riverdale, Jughead and his family’s dark legacy comes to light. Join writer Frank Tieri (Wolverine) and artist Michael Walsh (Secret Avengers) for this horrifying one-shot for TEEN+ readers.

Review:

This graphic novel is a collection of three comics from different Archie Comics series.

The story The Archies is about the creation of Archie’s band. Archie agrees to play a gig, before even creating a band, so his friends have to come to his rescue. It is a typical Archie story, where he makes a mistake and then his friends help him figure it out.

The story Big Moose is about the character Moose. He has to manage his busy life of school work, sports, home life, and his relationship with Midge. This story was a series of shorter comics which were like the original Archie comics that I read when I was a kid.

The story Jughead The Hunger was by far the most surprising one! In this story, there is a killer in Riverdale who is murdering various members of the town. The killer ends up being a werewolf, whose family has a legacy of lycanthropy. This story was unlike any Archie story I’ve read before because one of the main characters became a werewolf and a killer.

This is a great collection to read before choosing to start one of these series. I will definitely look for the Jughead series to see what happens next!

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – July 23

It's Monday! What Are You Reading

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:

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This weekend I finished Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge by Lisa Jensen.

What I’m currently reading:

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I’m currently reading A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Sanctuary by Caryn Lix.

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

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – July 22

Here’s my weekly wrap up!

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

Miles Morales ★★★
Bad Girls ★★★★
My Lady Jane ★★★★★
Herakles Book 1 ★★★
Invisible Emmie ★★★
Baby Teeth ★★★★

I did 6 weekly blogging memes:

I didn’t get any new books this week, so instead of my Stacking the Shelves post, I wrote about my first OwlCrate box:

OwlCrate Unboxing – June 2018

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… A Noise Downstairs

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 reading A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The New York Times bestselling author of No Time for Goodbyereturns with a haunting psychological thriller that blends the twists and turns of Gillian Flynn with the driving suspense of Harlan Coben, in which a man is troubled by odd sounds for which there is no rational explanation.

College professor Paul Davis is a normal guy with a normal life. Until, driving along a deserted road late one night, he surprises a murderer disposing of a couple of bodies. That’s when Paul’s “normal” existence is turned upside down. After nearly losing his own life in that encounter, he finds himself battling PTSD, depression, and severe problems at work. His wife, Charlotte, desperate to cheer him up, brings home a vintage typewriter—complete with ink ribbons and heavy round keys—to encourage him to get started on that novel he’s always intended to write.

However, the typewriter itself is a problem. Paul swears it’s possessed and types by itself at night. But only Paul can hear the noise coming from downstairs; Charlotte doesn’t hear a thing. And she worries he’s going off the rails.

Paul believes the typewriter is somehow connected to the murderer he discovered nearly a year ago. The killer had made his victims type apologies to him before ending their lives. Has another sick twist of fate entwined his life with the killer—could this be the same machine? Increasingly tormented but determined to discover the truth and confront his nightmare, Paul begins investigating the deaths himself.

But that may not be the best thing to do. Maybe Paul should just take the typewriter back to where his wife found it. Maybe he should stop asking questions and simply walk away while he can. . .

What book are you in bed with today?

Review: Baby Teeth

Title: Baby Teeth
Author: Zoje Stage
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sweetness can be deceptive.

Meet Hanna.

She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

Meet Suzette.

She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette’s husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.

Review:

This book was such a wild ride!

Hanna was so disturbing. I was actually scared when I read about the creepy things she would do. She tortured her mother in ways that weren’t always obvious. It’s hard to believe that a child could think up these ways to harm their parents. I can’t imagine going through something like that.

I had no idea how this book was going to end. It wasn’t a clear cut story where you know in general what will happen (for example in romances where the couple either gets together or not, or a mystery where the detective will find the killer). I didn’t know if everyone was going to die or live or some other unknown solution! I’ll admit I was surprised at the ending.

One strange thing about this book is that it has two different names. It is called Baby Teeth in North America, but it is called Bad Apple in the UK. I didn’t really understand why it is called Baby Teeth, but I can understand the Bad Apple reference, since Hanna really is a bad apple. If anyone knows the reasoning behind the different names I’d love to know!

I would love to see this story continued in a sequel! I highly recommend this book for a creepy thrilling read.

Owlcrate Unboxing- June 2018

This was my first Owlcrate and I’m so impressed! This was an amazing crate!

The book is From Twinkle, with Love. This is a special Owlcrate cover, which is so cool!!! The colours are different from the original cover, which makes it extra special. You can find my review for this book here.

This is an adorable mason jar mug. It’s hard to read it here, but it says “Book worm and proud.” That’s definitely true!

There was also a pen, bookmark, apple tea bags, a pin, and a popcorn keychain that goes with the book! I loved these goodies!

Just in time for summer, I got this awesome beach towel! I need to go to the beach just so I can use it!

I’m beyond excited about my first Owlcrate box! I signed up for a three month subscription because I got a discount at BookCon. I’m so glad I will be receiving this crate next month too!

Do you have an Owlcrate subscription? Did you get this box too? What did you think of it?

Review: Invisible Emmie

Title: Invisible Emmie
Author: Terri Libenson
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

This is the story of two totally different girls—quiet, shy, artistic Emmie and popular, outgoing, athletic Katie—and how their lives unexpectedly intersect one day when an embarrassing note falls into the wrong hands.

Review:

I really liked this book, until the ending.

It is a good comparison between a shy, quiet girl and the outgoing popular girl. However, I don’t think that Emmie’s position in the school would change so much in just one day. She experienced every emotion possible, from jealousy to anger and loneliness.

I found the ending super creepy! I’m going to spoil it here, so if you want to read the book, stop reading now. In the end, the popular girl, Katie, ended up being all in Emmie’s imagination! It’s like the cliche ending of “it was all a dream.” It turns out that Emmie sketched Katie and imagined her saying everything that Emmie couldn’t say. I was so disappointed in this because all along it seemed like Katie was a real person in the school!

I will admit the ending was surprising, but I found it creepy and strange too!

Goodreads Synopsis:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Hunted by Megan Spooner

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

2. Mole and Shrew All Year Through by Jackie French Koller

3. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems

4. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

5. Shadowland (The Mediator #1) by Meg Cabot

6. Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

7. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

8. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

9. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

10. Victoria by Daisy Goodwin

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Archies, Vol. 1 by Matthew Rosenberg, Alex Segura

Jughead: The Hunger by Frank Tieri, Michael Walsh

What I just finished:

What I’m currently reading:

What I’m reading next:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Positively Izzy by Terry Libenson

Drama by Raina Telgemeier