WWW Wednesday: Apr 13, 2022

April 13, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd6 Comments

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:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
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

Down the TBR Hole #29

April 12, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

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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5 on my tbr

#5OnMyTBR – Siblings

April 11, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

#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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book reviews

ARC Review: Scorpica by G.R. Macallister

April 10, 2022April 10, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd3 Comments

Title: Scorpica

Author: G.R. Macallister

Publisher: Saga Press

Genre: Fantasy

Content/Trigger Warnings: Blood, death, grief, an on-page sex scene (semi-vague), discussion of miscarriage, animal cruelty/death, alcoholism, violence, gore, child sacrifice, and execution (magical)

Rating: ★★★★

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

Goodreads Synopsis

A centuries-long peace is shattered in a matriarchal society when a decade passes without a single girl being born in this sweeping epic fantasy that’s perfect for fans of Robin Hobb and Circe.

Five hundred years of peace between queendoms shatters when girls inexplicably stop being born. As the Drought of Girls stretches across a generation, it sets off a cascade of political and personal consequences across all five queendoms of the known world, throwing long-standing alliances into disarray as each queendom begins to turn on each other—and new threats to each nation rise from within.

Uniting the stories of women from across the queendoms, this propulsive, gripping epic fantasy follows a warrior queen who must rise from childbirth bed to fight for her life and her throne, a healer in hiding desperate to protect the secret of her daughter’s explosive power, a queen whose desperation to retain control leads her to risk using the darkest magic, a near-immortal sorcerer demigod powerful enough to remake the world for her own ends—and the generation of lastborn girls, the ones born just before the Drought, who must bear the hopes and traditions of their nations if the queendoms are to survive.

My Review

Thank you to the publisher, Wunderkind PR, and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

You all know how much I love a good fantasy novel. Fantasy is and will probably always be my go-to genre when I’m thinking of what to read next. I love the scale and scope that can be found inside the pages of a novel that transports you to another world. When I was offered an e-ARC of Scorpica and read the synopsis, I immediately knew I wanted to read this book. And, though it took me longer than I was expected, I savored every minute of it!

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book blogger hop

Book Blogger Hop: Apr 8 – 14

April 9, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

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

Are you able to choose your favorite books?

Submitted by Julie @ Stepping Stone Book Reviews.

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first lines friday

First Lines Friday #40

April 8, 2022April 7, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

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!

Friday is, once again, upon us and I’m getting into that weekend mood! Why not kick it off with another First Lines Friday post? The book I’m featuring today is one I picked up from the library. I may or may not also have a e-ARC on Netgalley that I’ve been meaning to get to for ages *cough* Finding it at the library will, hopefully, be the kick in the rear I needed to finally read it!

Now, let’s see if the first few lines can make me even more eager to give it a go.

The Line(s):

“Droplets of blood pat the blue carpet, turning from red to black as they soak into the fibers. The drops come slow at first, before turning into a trickle as the bones of my skull squeeze like a hand around my brain. My body years to release the tensions in my shoulder, to let the pressure off my knees, to lay down and go to sleep.
Except it won’t be sleep.”

The Hints:

This is sci-fi mystery…

… that includes time travel…

… and perhaps a bit of murder.

The Reveal:

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blog tour · book reviews

Blog Tour: Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick

April 7, 2022April 6, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd3 Comments

Hello, reader!

I have a blog tour post for you today! This one is featuring a spooky middle grade horror novel that is filled with creepy-crawlies: Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick! I had a great time with this fast-paced read and I can’t wait to tell you more about it.

Before we get into my review, though, I want to thank Dave @ The Write Reads and all the crew, the publisher, Farshore, and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-book in exchange for my participation with this tour and an honest review. It is, as always, very much appreciated and all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Alright, let’s get into it, shall we?

Book Details

Title: Dread Wood
Author: Jennifer Killick
Publication date: March 31st, 2022
Genre: Horror
Age group: Middle Grade
Content/Trigger Warnings: For a list of potential content and trigger warnings, check out this book’s page on BookTriggerWarnings.com

Book Links

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

Synopsis

Turn the lights on. Lock the door. Things are about to get SERIOUSLY SCARY!

The brand new must-read middle-grade novel from the author of super-spooky Crater Lake. Perfect for 9+ fans of R.L.Stine’s Goosebumps

It’s basically the worst school detention ever. When classmates (but not mate-mates) Hallie, Angelo, Gustav and Naira are forced to come to school on a SATURDAY, they think things can’t get much worse. But they’re wrong. Things are about to get seriously scary.

What has dragged their teacher underground? Why do the creepy caretakers keeping humming the tune to Itsy Bitsy Spider? And what horrors lurk in the shadows, getting stronger and meaner every minute . . .? Cut off from help and in danger each time they touch the ground, the gang’s only hope is to work together. But it’s no coincidence that they’re all there on detention. Someone has been watching and plotting and is out for revenge . . .

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www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: Apr 6, 2022

April 6, 2022April 6, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd6 Comments

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:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
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

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica: This will be my second read for the Magical Readathon and I’m glad I picked it as my quick read! I am flying through this thriller and having a great time while doing it. Do I sometimes want to shake some of the POV characters? Yes. Very much so. Kate. But the fact that I’m so invested tells me I’m really enjoying myself. I was thrown off by the use of the r-word near the beginning by a pretty terrible person. I get that this person is the type that would throw that slur around… but we couldn’t find something else to demonstrate they’re awful? In 2021? I dunno, I’m probably being overly sensitive. That aside, I’m having a great time with this read!

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top 5 tuesday

Top 5 Tuesday: Anticipated Reads for Apr-Jun 2022

April 5, 2022April 4, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd8 Comments

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! A new month means a whole new list of prompts and we’re kicking off April with a good one. That’s because, this week, I’ll be talking about my top five most anticipated books that are coming out between April and June! I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t been keeping up with the new releases in 2022 as much as I did last year. It took me a minute to pick through my Want to Read shelf on Goodreads and find the books for this list. But the five that I did find are definitely at the top of my anticipated list!

That being said, let’s dive into the post.

#1. Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse

I can’t start a most anticipated list with anything other than my most anticipated book of 2022! I cannot WAIT to get back into the world that Rebecca Roanhorse created in Black Sun. Especially after that ending. I need to know what happens with Xiala and Serapio, dangit! I’m so hyped for this book and I’ll be reading it as soon as it comes out.

Release Date: April 19, 2022

#2. The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton

Give me all the magical school stories by BIPOC authors pleeeease! This book sounds absolutely incredible. It sounds whimsical and diverse and like it’s going to be a wonderful ride. I haven’t read anything by Dhonielle Clayton as of yet, but I’ve wanted to for a hot minute. When I saw this was coming out, I figured there was no better time than now!

Release Date: May 3, 2022

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wrap up

March 2022 Wrap Up

April 4, 2022April 3, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

We made it through another month of 2022! I feel like March went by super fast which was not at all what I wanted, haha. I feel like I got nothing done because the month just slipped through my fingers! At the same time, I’ve been unusually stressed with nothing added to my daily routine that would explain all the stress. It was a weird month, y’all. Here’s hoping April will be a bit more chill.

In the reading department, I read quite a few books but not nearly the amount I was hoping to achieve. I only read a few books from my Magical Readathon and WomenInMyth-Athon TBRs, but I still had a lot of fun participating in both! I suppose I shouldn’t be too hard on myself because I still managed to read nine books. Nine books in one month would have made me from a few years ago die of shock! And the quality of those books what top tier. I had three five star reads last month! I gotta remind myself of these things when I’m being too down on myself for how much I read. After all, it’s quality not quantity that counts.

Anyways, let’s get into all the books I read in the month of March!

Books Read

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

Book: Anne of West Philly by Ivy Noelle Weir/illustrated by Myisha Haynes

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: This was such a cute, fun graphic novel! It’s a retelling of Anne of Green Gables, which I haven’t read. Still, I know a bit about the character of Anne and I think this duo captured her spirit to a T! The art is beautiful, the story was touching, and I had a blast reading it. You can read my full review here.

Book: The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: Well, this was quite a thrill to read! From the very beginning, I was invested in Priya and Malini’s stories. They are incredibly well-written and compelling characters that made me want to keep reading. Beyond them, the lush world-building and the intriguing politics had me absolutely captivated. I’m excited for the next book in this series!

Book: The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Rating: ★★★★★

Thoughts: This book took me by surprise! I got it in my Book of the Month box and signed up for a blog tour simply because I liked the cover. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the tour, it probably would have languished on my shelves for awhile. I’m so glad it didn’t, though, because it absolutely blew me away! You can read my full review here.

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