Jill's Book Blog

Review: Dater’s Handbook

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Title: Dater’s Handbook
Author: Cara Lockwood
Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: May 15, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Cassandra Barber has a history of picking bad boyfriends…and she’s ready to change all that. She turns to Dater’s Handbook, the bestselling self-help book by relationship expert Dr. Susie, to improve her ailing love life. Surely, Dr. Susie’s advice will help her choose between her two new suitors: the laid-back, fun-loving Robert, and the sophisticated, dependable George.

The two men take her on very different kinds of dates, often with hilarious results. Cass juggles the opinions of her mother and her sister as well as Dr. Susie’s rules and checklists. But is she forgetting how to listen to her own heart?

This funny, feel-good novel contains an exclusive Hallmark recipe for Lemon Elderflower Mini Bundt Cakes.

Review:

I’ll admit, I chose this book because it has Meghan Markle on the cover. This is the book based on her Hallmark movie. Having her on the cover, especially with a release date during the same week as her royal wedding, is a huge selling point for this book.

I liked this cute romance. Cass has always had bad luck with guys, so her sister insists that she read a love guide by Dr. Susie. Cass follows Dr. Susie’s instruction and ends up with a choice between two guys. Robert is sweet, funny, and romantic. George is also romantic but he is more serious. Cass has to decide which guy is right for her.

Sometimes, when a book is written about a movie or TV show, it can sound flat and robotic. One book that I read based on a TV show read like the closed captions on the show. But this one sounded like an original story. It is told from Cass’s perspective which helped the narrative. She’s quirky and sometimes makes mistakes, but that made the story funny and entertaining.

I really liked this story. I’ll definitely have to look for the movie!

Top Ten Tuesday – Popular Books I Disliked

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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 I Disliked But Am Glad I Read, but I put my own spin on it with Popular Books I Disliked. For many of these books, I think they were just hyped too much and they didn’t live up to my expectations. Here’s my list:

1. The Giver

2. Longbourn

3. Life of Pi

4. The Animators

5. The Price Guide to the Occult

6. Wicked Charm

7. The Cuckoo’s Calling

8. Dead Girls Can’t Lie

9. Emergency Contact

10. The Woman in the Window

(all images taken from Goodreads)

Review: Rise of the Superheroes: Greatest Silver Age Comic Books and Characters

Title: Rise of the Superheroes: Greatest Silver Age Comic Books and Characters
Author: David Tosh
Genre: Non-Fiction, Graphic Novels
Publisher: F+W Media
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: May 8, 2018
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

They Could Be Heroes

Rise of the Superheroes–Greatest Silver Age Comic Books and Characters is a visual and entertaining adventure exploring one of the most popular and significant eras of comic book history. From 1956 to 1970, the era gave us Spider-Man, The Avengers, X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man and a flurry of other unforgettable and formidable characters.

The Silver Age redefined and immortalized superheroes as the massive pop culture titans they are today.

Lavishly illustrated with comic book covers and original art, the book chronicles:
The new frontier of DC Comics, with a revamped Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, and new characters including Hawkman
Marvel’s new comics featuring Thor and The Fantastic Four
The pop art years that saw Batman’s “new look” and the TV series
Independent characters, including Fat Fury and T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents
Spotlights new and re-imagined superheroes, like Wonder Woman, who have become central to modern pop culture
Includes values of these comics, which are popular with collectors
Thanks to the Silver Age, superheroes are bigger and badder than ever.

Review:

This is a great book about this history of superhero comics. It focuses on the art of comics and artists who created them. It is especially good for collectors, because some prices of vintage comics are listed.

I loved that there were many original comic covers in this book. Alongside the photos, the amounts that these original comics sold at auctions were listed. It’s fascinating to see how many thousands of dollars these comics can sell for today, when they originally cost only a few cents!

One funny thing about this book, and it proves that superheroes are still extremely popular, is that even though this book was just released, the movie rankings are already out of date. Avengers: Infinity War has surpassed not only the earnings of other superhero movies, but all other movies as well. Black Panther was also a huge hit, and would be listed high up on the movie rankings. This just proves the lasting effects of these characters that were created decades ago.

This is a great book about the rise of superheroes!

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading – May 14

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:

This weekend I finished Rise of the Superheroes: Greatest Silver Age Comic Books and Characters by David W. Tosh.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading Dater’s Handbook by Cara Lockwood.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading The Development by Jackie Kabler.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books? Let me know in the comments!

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – May 13

Here’s my weekly wrap up!

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

Tradition ★★★★
Lumberjanes: The Moon Is Up (Lumberjanes #2) ★★★★
Meghan: A Hollywood Princess ★★★★★
Tara Takes the Stage ★★★★
Come From Away ★★★★★
Still Mine ★★★★

I did 5 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… When Dimple Met Rishi

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 When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

What book are you in bed with today?

Review: Still Mine

Title: Still Mine
Author: Amy Stuart
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Source: Purchased
Release Date: March 1, 2016
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Girl on the Train meets The Silent Wife in this taut psychological thriller.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU VANISH FROM YOUR LIFE AND LEAVE NO STORY BEHIND?

SOMEONE WILL MAKE ONE UP FOR YOU.

Clare is on the run.

From her past, from her ex, and from her own secrets. When she turns up alone in the remote mining town of Blackmore asking about Shayna Fowles, the local girl who disappeared, everyone wants to know who Clare really is and what she’s hiding. As it turns out, she’s hiding a lot, including what ties her to Shayna in the first place. But everyone in this place is hiding something from Jared, Shayna’s golden-haired ex-husband, to Charlie, the charming small-town drug pusher, to Derek, Shayna’s overly involved family doctor, to Louise and Wilfred, her distraught parents.

Did Shayna flee? Was she killed? Is it possible she’s still alive?

As Clare uncovers the mysteries around Shayna’s disappearance, she must confront her own demons, moving us deeper and deeper into the labyrinth of lies and making us question what it is she’s really running from. Twisting and electrifying, this is a get-under-your-skin thriller that will make you question what it means to lose yourself and find yourself in the most unlikely places.

Review:

This is a great thriller.

I found the beginning of this story a little slow. There was a lot happening, but I didn’t feel invested in the character of Clare. I wanted to know more about her and how she ended up investigating Shayna’s life. There was plenty of information about Shayna and the town, but not enough about Clare to make me feel connected to her.

There were twists throughout the story. Clare was a unreliable character, so she was usually unpredictable. She made bad decisions, though sometimes she just had to make the best of the situation she was in.

I really had no idea what happened to Shayna. Everyone in town had a motive to hurt her, including the possibility that she harmed herself or left. But I figured she didn’t just walk away because that wouldn’t make for a very interesting ending.

I really enjoyed this story. I can’t wait to read the sequel Still Water.

Review: Come From Away

Title: Come From Away
Author: Genevieve Graham
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher
Release Date: April 24, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of Tides of Honour and Promises to Keep comes a poignant novel about a young couple caught on opposite sides of the Second World War.

In the fall of 1939, Grace Baker’s three brothers, sharp and proud in their uniforms, board Canadian ships headed for a faraway war. Grace stays behind, tending to the homefront and the general store that helps keep her small Nova Scotian community running. The war, everyone says, will be over before it starts. But three years later, the fighting rages on and rumours swirl about “wolf packs” of German U-Boats lurking in the deep waters along the shores of East Jeddore, a stone’s throw from Grace’s window. As the harsh realities of war come closer to home, Grace buries herself in her work at the store.

Then, one day, a handsome stranger ventures into the store. He claims to be a trapper come from away, and as Grace gets to know him, she becomes enamoured by his gentle smile and thoughtful ways. But after a several weeks, she discovers that Rudi, her mysterious visitor, is not the lonely outsider he appears to be, but someone else entirely—someone not to be trusted. When a shocking truth about her family forces Grace to question everything she has so strongly believed, she realizes that she and Rudi have more in common than she had thought. And if Grace is to have a chance at love, she must not only choose a side, but take a stand.

Come from Away is a mesmerizing story of love, shifting allegiances, and second chances, set against the tumultuous years of the Second World War.

Review:

I like historical fiction, but not usually books that are set during WWI or WWII. However, I loved this story!

This story has a real twist on a typical war love story. Rather than being about two people who are torn apart during the war, this story is about Grace and Rudi who meet during the war. The twist is that Rudi is a Nazi who has become stranded in Nova Scotia. The setting and the circumstances make this story unique.

The narrative switches between Grace’s and Rudi’s perspectives. This way, we get to see both sides of the story. Grace doesn’t want to betray her country, but she is drawn toward the German man. Rudi has to be careful about what he does and says in order to stay safe.

I loved this book, and I highly recommend it!

Review: Tara Takes the Stage

Title: Tara Takes the Stage
Author: Tamsin Lane
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: May 8, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

There are many ways this story can go. YOU decide what happens next. And if you don’t like how it ends? Just start again! The Yes No Maybe So series is an interactive reading experience about friendships, family, and all the feelings.

Every day before and after school, Tara Singh helps her parents at their Indian sweet shop, but the only business Tara is interested in is show business. When a local theater announces a casting call for The Wizard of Oz, Tara is determined to wear the ruby slippers.

As she prepares for the audition, Tara is distracted by some unexpected drama: There is Rohan, the delivery boy her parents hired. Hiro, her forever crush, who wants to rehearse with her. And Desmond, a shy theater nerd who has started lighting up her heart. Can Tara win the part and get the guy?

You have the power to choose what happens…and the chance to choose differently next time!

Review:

This is a great story. It is similar to a “choose your own adventure” book, but it has less choices. The story takes two paths: either Tara will go to her audition or she will go to a wedding. So the endings are limited, and both positive.

I liked that Tara was conflicted between helping her family and following her dreams of acting. This is a very real conflict. However, I had one problem with the story. Tara auditions for the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. When she was auditioning and talking about the part, no one mentioned that Tara is Indian, so she doesn’t look like the character of Dorothy. It was great for Tara that she didn’t face this obstacle, but I don’t think it’s realistic. In real life, someone probably would have commented on Tara playing a role that is usually played by a white girl.

I really enjoyed this story. It’s a great middle grade book!

TBR Thursday – May 10

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 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.

Goodreads Synopsis:

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

“Wild nights are my glory,” the unearthly stranger told them. “I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract”.

Meg’s father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space?

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