Mini Reviews

I love this series! There's something heart warming about knowing your not the only whose anxiety gets the best of them at the weirdest time. Another person who is as awkward in the real world, and understand how exhausting people can people. But to do it in such a cute way?!  A way that makes me giggle, means I love this series and I hope there's another one!

I found the Chew cross-over!! Which was awesome! I have to say I was on the fence about this series, but it's really unraveling into an amazing series. Slowly all of the little mysteries are coming together to form one picture. But, one question still remains. Why are the dead not staying that way? Also, what the hell is going on with Em?! She really needs to get that looked out... Also, Chuck did not deserve that! Rude! Volume 5 is on hold. So I guess now I wait.

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about what we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine. 

Release Date: July 24th, 2018

Author: Allison Rushby

Genre: Middle Grade / Paranormal

Pages: 256

Flossie Birdwhistle is the Turnkey at London's Highgate Cemetery. As Turnkey, it's Flossie's job to ensure that all the souls buried in the cemetery stay at rest. Not an easy job for a young ghost, but a task made especially difficult by World War II: London is being attacked every night by enemy bombers, and even the dead are unsettled. When Flossie encounters the ghost of a German soldier carrying a mysterious object that seems to exist in both the living and spirit worlds, she becomes suspicious — what is the officer up to? Before long, Flossie uncovers a sinister plot that could destroy not only her cemetery, but also her beloved country. Can Flossie and her ghostly friends stop the soldier before it's too late? History collides with the supernatural in this exciting, ethereal mystery from Allison Rushby.

Why I'm Waiting: There's a lot of lore on what goes on inside of Highgate Cemetery, plus some stories of some really weird stuff. So I'm excited to snag up a book that plays on that's fun and little weird.

New Release Tuesday

Author: Margalit Fox

Pages: 352

For all the scores of biographies of Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the most famous detective in the world, there is no recent book that tells this remarkable story--in which Conan Doyle becomes a real-life detective on an actual murder case. In Conan Doyle for the Defense, Margalit Fox takes us step by step inside Conan Doyle's investigative process and illuminates a murder mystery that is also a morality play for our time--a story of ethnic, religious, and anti-immigrant bias.

In 1908, a wealthy woman was brutally murdered in her Glasgow home. The police found a convenient suspect in Oscar Slater--an immigrant Jewish cardsharp--who, despite his obvious innocence, was tried, convicted, and consigned to life at hard labor in a brutal Scottish prison. Conan Doyle, already world famous as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was outraged by this injustice and became obsessed with the case. Using the methods of his most famous character, he scoured trial transcripts, newspaper accounts, and eyewitness statements, meticulously noting myriad holes, inconsistencies, and outright fabrications by police and prosecutors. Finally, in 1927, his work won Slater's freedom.

Arthur Conan Doyle was such strange man that lived a strange life. A life I know a little about when it surrounds the Sherlock series and Spiritualism, but I don't anything about this. So I'm excited that this is finally on shelves so I can get my fingers on it!

HAPPY READING!! 

Midyear Freak Out Book Tag 2018

I saw this on Bookfever early this week, and I thought it would be a great way to motivate myself to get back to reading this month. And, lucky for me she tagged anyone who wanted to do it. I'm also going to pass the tag along to anyone who wants to do it! So here's what my year looks like so far.

HOW MUCH I'VE READ:

I'm not doing as bad I as I feel I am. It's nice to be two books ahead, but the amount of books I put as my goal is huge for me. My personal rule is always strive to read five more books than I did last year. I barely made it last year. So fingers crossed I can stay two ahead.

What I've Been Reading & THEIR RATINGS:

Apparently I've been a lot of Graphic Novels. I think the rest of the year I need to slow down how many of those I'm reading in a row. Mostly because I have so many good books sitting next to my bed that I want to finish before the end of the year (see the photo above).

BEST BOOKS OF THE YEARS, SO FAR:

(Click the images to see my review!)

Okay, it took my far to long to read Meddling Kids, but it did get my pumped Edgar Cantero's next book This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us. I was super lucky to get an early release of The Mermaid and I devoured it. Now I have to wait until next year for Christina Henry's new book. 

BEST SEQUEL OF THE YEAR, SO FAR:

(Click the images to see my review!)

I LOVE THIS SERIES! Gert tried, she really do boss. I cannot wait for September when the next Volume comes out!!

NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN'T READ YET, BUT WANT TO:

(Click each image to see their Goodread's profile)

So many good books are coming out this year. These are just the top four that I need to pick up.

MOST ANTICIPATED FALL WINTER RELEASE:

(Click each image to see their Goodread's profile)

Again, just small list of what I'm looking forward to this fall! Though  Delilah Dirk #3 by Tony Cliff is on the top of the list. I've waited so long for another adventure with her and Selim.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTED OF THE YEAR, SO FAR:

What is it about this section of the BINGO board?! Hey, no one said it had to be a book. The best part is I don't plan this. I always pick up book and then see if it's on the board. Both books I'm reading now are on the same side as well. WHY?!

BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE YEAR, SO FAR:

(Click the images to see my review!)

After reading a crossover with Chew Series I was interested, but really I'm not the biggest "zombie" fan. I have a few favorites in the genre here and there. As a whole though, I sort avoid the genre. This series I'm addicted to it. Both mysteries have pulled me, and Team Em all the way.

NEW FAVORITE AUTHOR:

(Click the images to see my review!)

I love this series. Not only is the artwork fun, but it touches my soul in way that makes me giggle. I've loved each book as much as the first!

NEWEST FAVORITE CHARACTER(S):

(Click the images to see my review!)

Nate and Peter, hands down I feel will be my favorite duo this year. All made better by the fact of what Peter is. Their dialog is fun, and I enjoy Nate's character a bit more though. Even if he broke one of the number rules of being stuck in a horror movie. He's still a super precious.

MOST BEAUTIFUL SO FAR:

(Click each image to see their Goodread's profile)

Everything about this book is beautiful. The cover is amazing, the plot sounds even better, and I cannot wait dive right in. Come on July 10th!

How's everyone else's year going so far? On track with your reading goals? Read something the shook your world? Read something terrible?! I need to know!

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

They say don't judge a book by it's cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon! Some are by authors I already enjoy, some are the reason I gave the book a longer look. Either way they're all going to find their way here!

Release Date: August 7th, 2018

Pages: 320

Genre: Fantasy 

Adeluna is a soldier. Five years ago, she helped the magic-rich island of Grace Loray overthrow its oppressor, Argrid, a country ruled by religion. But adjusting to postwar life has not been easy. When an Argridian delegate vanishes during peace talks with Grace Loray’s new Council, Argrid demands brutal justice—but Lu suspects something more dangerous is at work.

Devereux is a pirate. As one of the outlaws called stream raiders who run rampant on Grace Loray, he pirates the island’s magic plants and sells them on the black market. But after Argrid accuses raiders of the diplomat’s abduction, Vex becomes a target. An expert navigator, he agrees to help Lu find the Argridian—but the truth they uncover could be deadlier than any war.

Benat is a heretic. The crown prince of Argrid, he harbors a secret obsession with Grace Loray’s forbidden magic. When Ben’s father, the king, gives him the shocking task of reversing Argrid’s fear of magic, Ben has to decide if one prince can change a devout country—or if he’s building his own pyre.

As conspiracies arise, Lu, Vex, and Ben will have to decide who they really are . . . and what they are willing to become for peace. 

How could that cover not pull you in, and it sounds like a freaking good read! Very excited for this release in August. 

Meddling Kids - Review

Author: Edgar Cantero

Genre: Horror

Format: Hardback

Pages: 322

1990. The teen detectives once known as the Blyton Summer Detective Club (of Blyton Hills, a small mining town in the Zoinx River Valley in Oregon) are all grown up and haven't seen each other since their fateful, final case in 1977. Andy, the tomboy, is twenty-five and on the run, wanted in at least two states. Kerri, one-time kid genius and budding biologist, is bartending in New York, working on a serious drinking problem. At least she's got Tim, an excitable Weimaraner descended from the original canine member of the team. Nate, the horror nerd, has spent the last thirteen years in and out of mental health institutions, and currently resides in an asylum in Arhkam, Massachusetts. The only friend he still sees is Peter, the handsome jock turned movie star. The problem is, Peter's been dead for years.

The time has come to uncover the source of their nightmares and return to where it all began in 1977. This time, it better not be a man in a mask. The real monsters are waiting.

So this book was described as a Scooby-Doo meets Call of the Cthulhu. Both are things I love, and I'm really fond of Edgar Cantero's writing style. Add on the fact this book has a neon of cover that looks like something you'd seen on Nick at Night. I was pretty much sold. Which brings me to the real question, why did it take me so long to read this?

Because, my name is Kayla and I have a TBR problem. Which mostly the fact that it's a pile of books taller than me that I'll never finish and this lovely little gem, it got lost. Until the announcement of Edgar Cantero's new book. That however, is a story for another day. This is about all my thoughts and feelings about Meddling Kids. Of which I have a few.

So the book takes place years after the BSDC (Blyton Summer Detective Club) have solved their last case together. One which has sort of haunted them, in some cases literally, since they unmasked the bad guy. In fact it seems the bad guy didn't escape without a few scars of his own. Which we quickly find out in Cantero just tosses us into the story head first. Something I thoroughly enjoy. I like it when you just get dropped kicked into a story and have to scramble to play catch up as the story unfolds. I have a hard time sticking with the book when the first quarter is all back story.

I honestly though the pacing of the book was good. Normally I can easily be pulled away from book for this reason or that, but with Meddling Kids I found a reason to read it. The only reason it took me so long to finish is because it's one of those books where you don't want it end. So you read a couple pages and walk away, read a couple pages and the fall asleep. Or, maybe that's just a thing I do.

Anway! The story follows what's left of the BSDC: Andy, Kerri, and Nate. Sadly, we never really get to Peter, just the piece of him that haunts Nate. Which, those two are my favorite. The dialog between Peter and Nate is hilarious and they had some of my favorite scenes. Favorite! Though..I hated Kerri. I just did. I mean she looks like Daphne with the brains of Velma, but she seriously bothered me. I get it honey it's scary with the Weezers and falling in love with Andy, but for the love. Suck it up. Nate is terrified, but he's still managing to not sound like a complainer! I don't know. She really bothered me.

Nate was my boy though! He's sort of the "Shaggy" of the group. Always scared and hiding, but he has this vast knowledge of the weird and strange that comes in handy. Which means he's kind of spirit animal in a way.

I really enjoyed this book. I love the way that Edgar Cantero writes, he has his own sense of flare, and it's so weird and based around science. It has government cover-ups and stupid cartoon hi-jinks, mixed with dooms day badass moments. 

And the ending... Dude I should have known after Supernatural Enhancements. Because Weezers and unearthly gods weren't enough, that had to happen. Of course because it's Scooby-Doo. The book started with a kick to the face and ended with a laugh, and honestly I cannot wait to pass to this on to a friend of mine whose been excited to read it.

Buy, Borrow, or Skip: This is hard one because this book is so weird. Personally I love this kind of twisted Lovecraftian storytelling. I love monsters and bent science and things that make no sense. So if your a fan of B Horror movies and old school Sci-Fi movies I say pick it up! If you want read something that'll make you scratch your head...Pick it up!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about what we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine. 

Release Date: July 10th, 2018

Author: Andrew Shaffer

Genre: Noir

Pages: 304

Vice President Joe Biden is fresh out of the Obama White House and feeling adrift when his favorite railroad conductor dies in a suspicious accident, leaving behind an ailing wife and a trail of clues. To unravel the mystery, “Amtrak Joe” re-teams with the only man he’s ever fully trusted—the 44th president of the United States. Together they’ll plumb the darkest corners of Delaware, traveling from cheap motels to biker bars and beyond, as they uncover the sinister forces advancing America’s opioid epidemic.

Part noir thriller and part bromance novel, Hope Never Dies is essentially the first published work of Obama/Biden fanfiction—and a cathartic read for anyone distressed by the current state of affairs.

 Why I'm Waiting: Because this doesn't come out for another month! That's why I'm waiting, because this is going to amazing!

New Release Tuesday

Author: Christina Henry

Pages: 336

Once there was a mermaid who longed to know of more than her ocean home and her people. One day a fisherman trapped her in his net but couldn't bear to keep her. But his eyes were lonely and caught her more surely than the net, and so she evoked a magic that allowed her to walk upon the shore. The mermaid, Amelia, became his wife, and they lived on a cliff above the ocean for ever so many years, until one day the fisherman rowed out to sea and did not return.

P. T. Barnum was looking for marvelous attractions for his American Museum, and he'd heard a rumor of a mermaid who lived on a cliff by the sea. He wanted to make his fortune, and an attraction like Amelia was just the ticket.

Amelia agreed to play the mermaid for Barnum, and she believes she can leave any time she likes. But Barnum has never given up a money-making scheme in his life, and he's determined to hold on to his mermaid.

I adore Christina Henry, and I was very lucky to get my fingers on an early release of this book! This was such a good book, and I'm so happy to see it finally hit shelves because I've been pushing it on very one since I finished it. So run don't walk to get your copy, and then check out my review of it here!

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

They say don't judge a book by it's cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon! Some are by authors I already enjoy, some are the reason I gave the book a longer look. Either way they're all going to find their way here!

Release Date: July 17th, 2018 (maybe)

The oba is dead.

The Eight Great Houses are under attack ... and they are losing.

What's worse than being ignored by your god?

As the royal heir from House Crow, Anari is desperate to protect his people from a plague-driven war. 

Without the blessing of his god, he doesn't have the magical power to compete in the succession battle for the beaded crown of the oba. He is easy prey for the strongest heirs. To stay alive, he must be quick and clever.

When his plans go wrong, he does the unthinkable. 

Worse is having your god owe you a favor. Particularly when he's a trickster.

Anari might not become the ruler of his people, but he has won his god's undivided attention. If he can survive what he's put in motion, he will have one chance to save them all. Fortunately, Anari has a few tricks up his own sleeve ...

The cover drew me to this book and the synopsis is what drew me deeper into wanting to read this book. I haven't found much about this book, but I'm definitely keeping my eye out for it. If any of you have more info, drop me a line about it! Love to get my hands on a copy! 

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about what we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine. 

Release Date: July 24st, 2018

Author: Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

Pages: 384

A plucky farm boy will find more than he's bargained for on his quest to awaken the sleeping princess in her cursed tower. First there's the Dark Lord who wishes for the boy's untimely death . . . and also very fine cheese. Then there's a bard without a song in her heart but with a very adorable and fuzzy tail, an assassin who fears not the night but is terrified of chickens, and a mighty fighter more frightened of her sword than of her chain-mail bikini. This journey will lead to sinister umlauts, a trash-talking goat, the Dread Necromancer Steve, and a strange and wondrous journey to the most peculiar "happily ever after" that ever once-upon-a-timed.

Why I'm Waiting: Okay, so maybe I'm not exactly waiting. Because as soon as finish my current read, I'm picking this one up!

HAPPY READING!!