Month: July 2022

The Cheesy Goodness Book Tag

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Hello, reader!

It’s Thursday and that seems as good a day as any for another book tag! Today, I’m doing one that combines two of my favorite things: books and cheese! Makes me want to whip up a charcuterie board and have a snack whilst reading after I finish this post 😂 But maybe first I should tell you what it actually is… The Cheesy Goodness Book Tag!

Before I start, I must thank two incredible bloggers for tagging me! Shoutout to both Ashley @ Books Are 42 and Danni @ _ForBooksSake for thinking of me! You should definitely check out both of their blogs because they are fantastic. Lots of wonderful, bookish content!

Now, it’s time to get to the tag 😊

The Rules:

  • Pingback the original creator (Sydney at Fire and Rain books) so she can see all your cheesy goodness answers.
  • Pingback the person who tagged you or you stole this from (Thanks Ashley and Danni!)
  • Have fun!

The Prompts:

Cheddar – The Traditional Cheese: Name Your Favorite Classic Novel

Oh, it has to be The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas! I was so nervous about reading this book. Mostly because my experience with classics has been very hit or miss, but also partly because this book is THICK. Eventually, though, my curiosity won out and I picked up the audiobook. I absolutely fell in love with the king of all revenge stories! This was such an incredible novel and it made me want to explore more books by Dumas.

Swiss – A Hole-y Cheese: Name an Emotional Roller Coaster

I just finished Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley yesterday while I was at work. I probably should have held off until I got home because, dear lord, does this book pack a punch! My heart was in my throat for most of the last few chapters, from both joy and sadness. I was prepared for an intriguing thriller that kept me engaged. I was not prepared to have my feelings bounce around like a ping-pong ball 😂 Suffice it to say, I loved this book!

Blue Cheese – The Controversial Cheese: Name an Unpopular Book Opinion You Have

I’m slowly starting to realize that I’m not a fan of e-books 😬 I love the concept of them! I love that they make books more accessible and easy to bring wherever you go. But the actual experience of reading them? No thank you. I don’t know if it’s because I stare at screens all the time and adding one more screen to my routine is too much or if I just really prefer having a physical book in my hand, but they’re definitely my least preferred reading format.

Brie – The Favorite Cheese: Name an Author You Always Want More Of

Top of the list has to be Erin Morgenstern. She has written two of my favorite books of all time. She’s one of the few authors where I read one book they wrote and immediately added them to my ‘favorite authors’ list. And I cannot wait til whatever she’s working on next is announced! I just need more of her beautiful, lyrical writing and the fantastical worlds that she creates. Until then, I’ll just have to re-read The Night Circus and The Starless Sea until my books fall apart 😂

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WWW Wednesday: Jul 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

  • Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Not gonna lie, I only picked this book because it’s a book of the month pick for one of my Goodreads groups. Nothing about the synopsis really appealed to me because it sounded like it was just going to be a story of rich people making terrible decisions. Which… it kind of is, but it’s more so a story about family and familial bonds. And I’m kind of loving it!
  • Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert: I started this book yesterday and stayed up way too late because I did not want to stop! I loved the other books in the Brown Sisters series, but this book? This book is top-tier, chef’s kiss, cannot be beat. Eve and Jacob? Jacob and Eve?! I adore them so much and I want nothing but wonderful things for these precious beans. I’m currently deep enough into the book that I am dreading the probable third act breakup because why can’t they just be happy?! I mean… I know they will be in the end, but why can’t they be noooow 😭
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Top 5 Tuesday: Magic Systems

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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!

I’m enjoying a day off this Tuesday and it’s been quite relaxing! I’m loving hanging out with the family and, of course, reading a ton. Now, it’s time for another Top 5 Tuesday! I’m excited for this week’s theme because I get to talk about my favorite magic systems. As a fantasy reader, good magic systems are like my life blood. Of course, it also means I had a hell of a time narrowing this list down to my top five 😂

All that being said, let’s jump into my list!

#1. Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

We all knew this was going to be at the top of the list! This blog is a little bit of a Raybearer hype vehicle because I will talk about this book/series at any opportunity possible! That being said, the magic system is one of the reasons I adore this book so much. It was interesting and diverse, with tons of different abilities and a fascinating explanation of how they work. It makes sense, within this world, and I loved it!

#2. The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson

The magic system in the first Mistborn trilogy is one of the most unique ones I’ve ever read! I love that it’s based around different metals and how different metals give different powers. It makes for such an intriguing world. It also makes watching Vin learn all her powers that much more fun. I was definitely never bored as I was reading the first book! I still need to finish this trilogy, but I’m sure the last book will wow me just as much as the first.

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ARC Review: Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

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Title: Juniper & Thorn

Author: Ava Reid

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Genre: Gothic Horror/Fantasy

Content/Trigger Warnings: Gore, body horror, child sexual abuse, cannibalism, antisemitism, xenophobia, physical and psychological abuse, self-harm, suicidal ideation, bulimia, emesis, animal death

Rating: â˜…★★

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

Goodreads Synopsis

From highly acclaimed bestselling author Ava Reid comes a gothic horror retelling of The Juniper Tree, set in another time and place within the world of The Wolf and the Woodsman, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her wizard father, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Catherynne M. Valente.

A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites.

Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city shifting from magic to industry. As Oblya’s last true witches, she and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But at night, Marlinchen and her sisters sneak out to enjoy the city’s amenities and revel in its thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theater, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart.

As Marlinchen’s late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father’s rage and magic. And while Oblya flourishes with culture and bustles with enterprise, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power. Caught between history and progress and blood and desire, Marlinchen must draw upon her own magic to keep her city safe and find her place within it.

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Sundays In Bed With… Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

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Sundays in Bed With… is a meme that dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

Hello, reader!

This Sunday has, so far, been the opposite of lazy for me. I had to work and, though it wasn’t terribly busy, I still felt like I was rushing around getting things done. Mostly because I’m the person in charge on my weekends and everyone had questions and issues today 😅 Thankfully, everything was figured out and are good now! I’m home and ready to relax with a book.

That being said, the book I’ll be snuggling up with is the same book I’ve been listening to all day at work. Let’s jump into the post so I can talk more about it!

My Sunday Read Is…

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

I started this book… an embarrassingly long time ago. Though I was initially very pulled into the story, but I kept putting it down to read books for blog tours and challenges. No fault of the book, I just overcommitted myself as I usually do 😂 So, when I was looking for my next audiobook to listen to, I found this through my library and immediately borrowed it. The writing and story as as engaging as I remember them being when I first picked it up. I love how deeply this dives into Ojibwe culture and the characters absolutely come alive on the page! I’m not sure how I feel about the romance, but I’m still loving this book.

Goodreads Synopsis

Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team.

Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims.

Now, as the deceptions—and deaths—keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

What are you reading this Sunday? Are you enjoying whatever you are reading? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

Book Blogger Hop: Jul 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 listen to audiobooks? If so, do you prefer listening instead of reading?

Submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver’s Reviews.

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First Lines Friday #53

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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 First Lines Friday! This has been quite the week and I’m working this weekend, but I’m still happy to be chilling at home on this Friday. As I chill, I’ll be picking up a fairly popular book that was picked as a book of the month for one of my Goodreads groups! I’m honestly not sure how I’m going to feel about this one… I’ve loved previous books from this author, but the synopsis doesn’t have me sold.

Let’s see if the first few lines can make me excited to pick this up!

The Line(s):

“Malibu catches fire.

It is simply what Malibu does from time to time.

Tornadoes take the flatlands of the Midwest. Floods rise in the American South. Hurricanes rage against the Gulf of Mexico.

And California burns.”

The Hints:

This is an historical fiction by a pretty popular author.

The story in the more current timeline takes place all in one day.

And it has characters that you can find in the author’s other books.

The Reveal:

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Get to Know the Fantasy Reader Book Tag

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Hello, reader!

It’s Thursday and that seems a good time to do a book tag. And what better tag for a fantasy lover like myself than the Get to Know the Fantasy Reader Book Tag! This is very much inside my wheelhouse 😆 Thank you to the wonderful Becky @ Becky’s Book Blog for tagging me!

Alright, now let’s get into the tag.

The Rules:

  • Make sure you give credit to the original creators of this tag – this tag was originally created by Bree Hill.
  • If you want to, pingback to the post you first saw this tag!
  • Have fun!

The Prompts:

What is your fantasy origin story? (The first fantasy you read.)

I’m sure there were fantasy novels I read before this, like Dahl, but Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede is the first one that I truly fell into. I devoured the Enchanted Forest series and legit made it my entire personality for a looooong time. I wanted to be Cimorene, I wanted to hanging out with the dragons, I wanted to go on adventures. This book/series is what really made me fall in love with fantasy and I still think about it all the time. It really is time for a re-read!

If you could be the hero/heroine in a fantasy novel, who would be the author and what’s one trope you’d insist be in the story?

Ooo, that’s a really good question! Hmm… and kind of hard to answer, lol. I think I would want Jordan Ifueko to write my story because she builds such beautiful, lush worlds. She has a way of writing that is so evocative, so immersive, that you can’t help to lose yourself in her stories. She’s also great at writing the ‘found family’ trope, which is the one I would absolutely insist on in my story.

What is a fantasy series you’ve read this year, that you want more people to read?

Okay, there’s only one book in this series, so far, but I still need everyone to read Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega! This was an incredible middle grade fantasy that I absolutely devoured. It has magic, it has an awesome friend group, and it tackles some pretty tough topics that I’m sure a lot of kids will relate to. I loved the writing in this and the world that Ortega created. My favorite part of this story, however, were our three main characters, Seven, Thorn, and Valley. I can’t wait to continue their story.

What is your favorite fantasy subgenre?

That’s another good question! I would have to agree with Becky and say folklore/mythology retellings. Retellings are some of my favorite stories, especially if it tends to focus on the characters that are usually in the background of such tales. I fell in love with Circe by Madeline Miller for that reason! I’ve also enjoyed Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and, recently, The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec.

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Cover Reveal: The Children of Chaos by Trudie Skies

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Hello, reader!

I have a special post for y’all today that I’m really excited to share! Earlier this year, I had the priviledged of being on a blog tour for an incredible gaslamp fantasy that absolutely took my breath away. The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies was one of my first five star reads of the year! It was a compulsively readable, fast-paced whirlwind of a book that I fell in love with completely.

Now, I’m super geeked to help with the cover reveal for the second book in the series, The Children of Chaos! This book picks up right where the last one left off, which is good, because the last book ended with quite the cliffhanger. I’m so eager to get the next book in my greedy, little hands, and, with this cover reveal, I feel one step closer.

But enough of my rambling. It’s time to take a look at the stunning new cover!

Book Links

Amazon::Goodreads

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Top 5 Tuesday: Books Set At School

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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! This week, we’re focusing on books that are set at school. Going through my reads, I realized that, though I love picking up books that have school settings, I truly enjoyed only a handful 😅 That being said, some of my picks may be a bit of a stretch, but I think they work!

Let’s go ahead and dive in!

#1. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I’m sure almost everyone that follows my blog knows what this book is about. We’re following the story of a hero named Kvothe, as told when he is much older and owns an inn. But this first book in the series focuses on Kvothe’s origins and his time at a magical university. So that counts! I loved this book so much. It’s a thick one, but I was found myself flying through the story. It was completely immersive and just such a good time. I really need to continue on with this series.

#2. Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

I had to get this series on this list! The first book in the Great Library series definitely focuses on the main character, Jesse, and his time at the training school of the Great Library of Alexandria. I loved following his schooling/training, but the best part was the relationships he developed while there. And the fact that he was totally supposed to be a plant for his black market, book selling family. This is such a great read!

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