Month: April 2022

WWW Wednesday: Apr 20, 2022

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It’s time for another WWW Wednesday! This is a bookish meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words where bloggers answer the 3 Ws:

  1. What are you currently reading?
  2. What did you recently finish reading?
  3. What do you think you’ll read next?

If you’d like to learn more about any of these books, click on the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page.

Current Reads

  • The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin: Yup, I am finally reading The Fifth Season. And I am already kicking myself for taking so long to pick this up. This is so freakin’ good, so far! It’s brutal, but so well-written and engaging and captivating. Every time I pick it up before bed, I end up staying up way too late because I just don’t want to put it down! I was really nervous I wasn’t going to like this book after hyping it so much in my head. I’m glad the hype train didn’t lie to me. This is just as good, if not better, than everyone has said!
  • Piranesi by Susanna Clarke: This book is WEIRD AF and I LOVE IT! I’m reading it as part of a book-club-that’s-not-a-book-club and I feel like we’re all equally confused and enthralled. I love the discussions because someone invariably picks up on something I didn’t and that makes me think about what we’ve read in a whole new light. My takeaways right now are I adore Piranesi, the Other can choke, and I want to visit the House.
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Top 5 Tuesday: Books About Weddings

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Top 5 Tuesday is a fun, weekly meme that asks you to pick 5 books that fit that week’s theme. It was created by Bionic Bookworm and is currently being hosted by Meeghan Reads. You should check out their wonderful blog for more details and the list of prompts!

Hello, reader!

It’s time for another Top 5 Tuesday! I will fully admit that I had a little difficulty with this week’s topic. I’m talking about my top five books about weddings. Apparently, I haven’t read that many books about weddings. So this list may have some books that are a bit of a stretch, but I think they work.

Alright, let’s get to the post!

#1. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

This is the one of the books on the list that I’m actually not stretching at all! This entire rom-com is kicked off by a wedding gone wrong. Well, at least a wedding reception, where everyone but the bride and groom’s siblings get food poisoning. And then they get pushed into going on their honeymoon and, spoiler alert, get a lot closer than they were expecting. I really enjoyed this romance (Olive + Ethan forever!) and the vacation vibes.

#2. A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

I’m kiiind of stretching with this selection, but there is a wedding in this book! I mean, the end goal of said wedding is for one of our main characters, Karina, to murder her husband, but there’s still a wedding. Kind of. I can’t remember if it’s even described on-page… Whatever, it’s staying! I loved this book and the relationship that grows between Karina and Malik, our other main character. I really need to finish the duology soon.

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BBNYA Winner Blog Tour: May Day by Josie Jaffrey

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Hello, reader!

Because of my inability to read a schedule correctly, this is coming to you a day late. But I’m no less enthused to tell you about the stellar book that took the prize home in the 2021 Book Bloggers Book of the Year Award: May Day by Josie Jaffrey! Our winner from last year is an urban fantasy that has a lot going for it; vampires, mystery, and a kickass female lead that instantly had me rooting for her. But, before I get into my tour stop, let me tell you more about BBNYA.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where Book Bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors. If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website www.bbnya.com or twitter @bbnya_official.

The sign-ups are still open for the 2022 BBNYA competition, be it for authors to enter their books, or for bloggers wanting to be part of the new panel, so keep your eyes peeled!!

As a note, I received this book to read and review as part of the 2021 BBNYA tours organized by the TWR Tour team. All opinions are my own, unbiased and honest. Now, let’s get into the post!

Book Details

  • Title: May Day
  • Author: Josie Jaffrey
  • Publication date: July 9th, 2020
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Age group: Adult
  • Content/Trigger Warnings: For a list of potential content and trigger warnings, check out this book’s page on BookTriggerWarnings.com

Book Links

Bookshop::TBD::B&N::Amazon::
Goodreads

Synopsis

If the murderer you’re tracking is a vampire, then you want a vampire detective. Just maybe not this one.

It’s not that Jack Valentine is bad at her job. The youngest member of Oxford’s Seekers has an impressive track record, but she also has an impressive grudge against the local baron, Killian Drake.

When a human turns up dead on May Morning, she’s determined to pin the murder on Drake. The problem is that none of the evidence points to him. Instead, it leads Jack into a web of conspiracy involving the most powerful people in the country, people to whom Jack has no access. But she knows someone who does.

To get to the truth, Jack will have to partner up with her worst enemy. As long as she can keep her cool, Drake will point her to the ringleaders, she’ll find the murderer and no one else will have to die.
Body bags on standby.

May Day is the first book in Josie Jaffrey’s Seekers series, an urban fantasy series set in Oxford, England.

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Mini Reviews: Six Stories Edition

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Hello, reader!

Last year, I was participating in a readalong for a thriller series that I instantly loved: Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski. This is a series surrounding a fictional crime podcast called Six Stories. In it, the enigmatic podcast host dregs up old cases and finds six people to tell us their version of events. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into the series, but, after reading the first one, I knew I was hooked! I’ve recently finished the fourth book and realized that I never actually reviewed the first three! I’m here to remedy that today.

So, without further ado, let me share my thoughts on the first three books in the Six Stories series!

Title: Six Stories

Author: Matt Wesolowski

Genre: Thriller

CW/TW: For a list of content and trigger warnings, please check out BookTriggerWarnings.com

Rating: ★★★★

Links:
Bookshop::TBD::B&N::Amazon::
Goodreads

This is the book that introduced me to this fascinating series. For that alone, I would love it! But this book stands on its own as a great thriller, of course. Else why would I have continued on with the series?

In this first book, we are introduced to the Six Stories podcast and it’s secretive host, Scott King. The story being picked apart in the podcast is that of the discovery of a body in the Scarclaw Fell. The death was ruled as a misadventure, but there are those who wonder if there isn’t more to the story. Scott King is there to hear the stories and let the listeners come to their own conclusions.

As soon as I started reading this book, I loved the feel of it. I’m a watcher of true crime shows and this read like watching one of those felt. I was instantly invested in the story and the investigation. What I wasn’t expected and was a pleasant surprise was the absolutely creepy tale that was sprinkled within the interviews! It was like a horror story and a crime novel all mashed into one and I loved it! I also enjoyed the podcast aspect of this, though I feel it translates better in audiobook form than it does reading it physically. I have yet to try one of the audiobooks, but I really want to! Overall, I truly enjoyed this dark and creepy story and was eager to continue on with the series.

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Book Blogger Hop: Apr 15 – 21

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The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Crazy-For-Books and is currently being hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer. Every Friday, a new question is posted for book bloggers to answer in the coming week. The purpose of the hop is connection and community. You can discover new blogs to follow, new books to read, and you may end up with some new followers, as well!

This Week’s Question

Image by Coffee Addicted Writer

 Do you prefer to leave book jackets on or off while reading?

Submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer.

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First Lines Friday #41

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First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?  If you want to make your own post, feel free to use or edit the banner above, and follow the rules below:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first (I cheat a little bit here *cough*)
  • Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

Happy Friday to you all! And, if you celebrate, Happy Passover! I’m gearing up for a busy Easter weekend and I’m so thankful that I have it off this year. It can be a crap shoot whether or not I get to celebrate the holidays with my family since I work in healthcare. Either way, I’m very ready for this work week to be over! I’m also ready to share another First Lines Friday post with you lovely people!

The book I’m featuring this week is another one where I’m gonna skip the hints. Why? Because this is such a darling of the bookish community that I feel like I’m one of the last people on Earth who hasn’t read it 😂 I suppose that is a hint in itself. But let’s see if these first few lines can make me even more excited to give this one a read.

The Line(s):

“My father was a king and the son of kings. He was a short man, as most of us were, and built like a bull, all shoulders. He married my mother when she was fourteen and sworn by the priestess to be fruitful. It was a good match: she was an only child, and her father’s fortune would go to her husband.

He did not find out until the wedding that she was simple.”

No Hints!:

The Reveal:

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The 2021 Good News Book Tag

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Hello, reader!

I haven’t done a book tag in awhile and I thought today would be a perfect day for one. I’ve been wanting to do the 2021 Good News Book Tag for a minute for two reasons. First, because I think everyone could hear a little good news about our world that is usually just negativity 24/7. And, second, because I really love the graphics that Laura @ The Corner of Laura made for it!

This tag was inspired by the 2021 Book Tag by Phoenix @ Books with Wings and tweaked to the one I’m doing by Laura herself. She wanted to make a tag that highlighted some of the good news stories that might have gotten lost amongst the bad in 2021. I want to thank her for tagging me, as well! Y’all should definitely give her blog a peek because she has a lot of great content.

Alright, let’s get to the tag!

The Rules:

  • Link back to the original creator (The Corner of Laura) and link back to this page (otherwise, the original creator won’t get a notification).
  • Thank whoever tagged you and link back to their post (Thanks, Laura!)
  • (Optional) Use the graphics and don’t forget to credit the original creator (All the graphics were created by Laura @ The Corner of Laura)
  • (Optional) Tag 5 or more other people.

The Prompts:

Gay marriage was legalised in Switzerland:
A book with LGBT characters who live happily ever after

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

It took me a second to think of an answer to this one and then I remember this gem of a book! Arthur and Linus are, hopefully, living happily ever after in their island orphanage! Both of them kicking up a fuss about the rights of magical children and then going home for some tea. This was such a heartwarming story and it made me want to read more from this author.

Giant Pandas are no longer classed as Endangered:
A book with a fantastic animal companion
NB: Giant pandas are still classed as Vulnerable but it’s progress!

Stones of Light by Zack Argyle

I really loved Asher and his bond with Laurel in this book, the sequel to Voice of War. Asher is a chromawolf (and featured on the cover) and it was incredible to see the way these two worked together. Also, I just love the concept of a giant, green wolf that could one day be my friend, okay? Asher is also a wonderfully loyal companion to Laurel, which is something she truly needs.

Studies show that the HPV vaccine has cut cervical cancer rates by almost 90%:
A book where science plays a big part

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Well, the main character in this is made by science and they are protecting a bunch of scientists. So I think this fits perfectly! It’s also a good reminder that I really need to continue this series. I loved the first book so much and it’s all because of Murderbot. They are so wry and funny and intriguing! There are a lot of layers to Murderbot and I can’t wait to see more of them as I continue the series.

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WWW Wednesday: Apr 13, 2022

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It’s time for another WWW Wednesday! This is a bookish meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words where bloggers answer the 3 Ws:

  1. What are you currently reading?
  2. What did you recently finish reading?
  3. What do you think you’ll read next?

If you’d like to learn more about any of these books, click on the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page.

Current Reads

  • May Day by Josie Jaffrey: I’m reading this for an upcoming BBNYA tour and, so far, I can see why it won 1st place last year! I’m having a great time with this dark and twisty story. Also, I kind of love Jack? She’s a legitimate mess and I love that about her 😂 I’m interested to see where her hatred of Drake is gonna go… he’s an intriguing character, as well. Foremost, though, Cam must be PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS! *cough* Anyways, I’m loving this one so far.
  • The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf: This is the Middle Grade Marvels read for April. At first, I wasn’t going to join in this month because I have so many books I really want to get through in April. Audiobooks (and Scribd) came to the rescue, though! I’ve been listening to the audiobook at work and I’m so glad I decided to join in after all. I’m loving this book! I’m loving the culture and the lessons on friendship and how it’s a little darker than I was anticipating. There were certain moments that gave me little chills and I grew up on a steady diet of horror films! It’s hard to keep with the reading schedule, but that just because I never want to stop reading!
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Down the TBR Hole #29

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It’s time for a new round of Down the TBR Hole! This is where I go through my Goodreads ‘Want to Read’ shelf and do a bit of cleaning up. If you want to see the full description of what this post is all about, check out my first round HERE.

Hello, reader!

It’s been a bit since I’ve done a Down the TBR Hole round. Time to climb back on that horse! It’s, apparently, also been awhile since I’ve added a book to my TBR because I ended last round with 725 books on my Want to Read shelf and I’ll be starting with the same amount! I would like to say that I’ve exhibited restraint. But I would be lying 😂 I’ve definitely added books, but I’ve also been reading backlist books off my TBR lately. I count that as a win!

Alright, let’s continue the TBR cleanout and get into round 29.

My Sister’s Bones by Nuala Ellwood

This is a psychology thriller featuring a war journalist that is haunted by her experiences. When she moves back home, she’s also haunted by what she suspects might be happening in her neighbor’s house. This sounds like it has potential… but reading the synopsis left me feeling rather ‘meh’. I think this one has to go.

Verdict: Remove

The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham

We have another thriller here and this one definitely sounds like it could get my heart racing. Only problem? It involves two pregnant women. Miscarriage is one of my few triggers, so a thriller + pregnant women? Imma pass. Even if it never happens, the anxiety that it might would haunt me throughout the book. No thanks.

Verdict: Remove

Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl

I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, but some of my favorite books in the genre are travel non-fiction. I like to live vicariously through wealthier people who can afford to go to places I dream of visiting 😂 This book is less about a dream location, but it still sounds fascinating. It’s about this man and his crew’s journey sailing the Pacific on a balsa log raft. I’m definitely intrigued!

Verdict: Keep

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#5OnMyTBR – Siblings

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#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook where you chose five books from your to-be-read pile that fit that week’s theme. If you’d like more info, head over to the announcement post!

Hello, reader!

We’re at the start of another week, which means it is time for another 5 On My TBR! This one seems apropos since yesterday was National Siblings Day. That’s right, the topic for this week is books featuring siblings! It took me a surprisingly long time for me to round up books for this list. I realized I read a lot of books where the main character has no family. Probably because I love the “found family” trope so much. But the ones I did round up are five books I’m eager to read!

That being said, let’s get to the post!

#1. So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow

I can’t have a list about siblings and not talk about this Little Women retelling! I’m very interested in all the classics remixes that have been coming out recently, but this one is definitely at the top of the list. I really enjoyed Little Women when I read it, so a remix featuring young Black girls seems like something I would love! I’m excited to give it a go and I’m hoping to pick it up soon.

#2. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

I remember when it seemed like everyone in the bookish community was reading (and raving about!) this book. That’s the whole reason this book ended up on my TBR, if I’m honest 😅 The hype got me! But this tale of two white-passing Black sisters and how they live their lives does sound fascinating! I got a copy of the book from Book of the Month and I’m eager to read it. I feel like I’ll need to be in a good head-space, though.

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