New Release Tuesday

Genre: Horror

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 384

In a quest for a simpler life, Helen and Nate abandon the comforts of suburbia and teaching jobs to take up residence on forty-four acres of rural land where they will begin the ultimate, inspirational do-it-yourself project: building the house of their dreams. When they discover that this charming property has a dark and violent past, Helen, a former history teacher, becomes consumed by the legend of Hattie Breckenridge, a woman who lived and died there a century ago. As Helen starts carefully sourcing decorative building materials for her home - wooden beams, mantles, historic bricks -- she starts to unearth, and literally conjure, the tragic lives of Hattie's descendants, three generations of "Breckenridge women," each of whom died amidst suspicion, and who seem to still be seeking something precious and elusive in the present day.

HAPPY READING!!

Chasing Graves - Review

Author: Ben Galley

Genre: Grimdark Fantasy

Format: e-Book

Pages: 391

I've followed Ben Galley on Twitter for a many moons now, and I finally made myself pick up one of his books. I mean all of his books sound right up my alley. Only Chasing Graves had one extra thing going for it,  Egyptian mythology. Which is something I've been obsessed with since a kid. So I tried a little bit harder to get my hands on this series. As luck would have it, the random name generator that Ben Galley uses seems to like me. So with a promise of a fair and honest review, I downloaded this bad boy to my phone. Lost it when my phone freaked out and panicked. Then re-applied it to the new phone and devoured it.

Every free chance I've had since I managed to get back on my e-reading app I've spent reading this. My roommate even laughed as I was finishing the last few chapters, because I was reading I as making brunch. 

How much did I enjoy this book? So much so that I'm waiting for the second book, Grim Solace, to finish uploading onto my phone.

There so much to like about this book, but I think my favorite thing is that we get thrown into the story kind in the middle of Caltro's story. He's already gone through some stuff and taken a job in a dangerous city because he's kind of got no other choice. We know nothing about him, except that he's smarmy and is a thief. It's the same with every other character we meet. Their story has already started and we've appeared midway through it. The great thing is your not left guessing what happened before the pages started. Ben Galley slowly reveals what you need throughout the plot here and there. Little moments that look random until all of sudden their not so little anymore.

In fact I got so focused on figuring out players and on the little side games, I forgot didn't think to ask the bigger question. Why was the emperor locked away? I knew it wasn't the reason we were being fed. That was too clean, to easy. My theory however was blown out of the water because I hadn't planned it being that! Which I loved by the way, but maybe I should have saw coming. Because I figured out how everyone else fits into this story. The pieces they needed to play. Those two were my odd men out. Moving parts I couldn't place.

Vague, I know. But, no one likes spoilers. Particularly with this reveal. It was one of the moments I yelled 'What?!' through our silent house.

But, on to the next amazing point the world building in Chasing Graves is stellar, and it's not just one landscape that we're shown. Through the story we see different parts of Araxes, some older, some newer, some nasty. But, each section is it's own and Ben Galley makes it so easy to picture these parts as our cast moves through the city. My favorite sights were the Long Sands. I mean they had me at duneworms. I just wished we'd seen one. I'd love to seem more of this world. More of Krass and Skol, even the Scatter Isles. We got a taste of them through out cast, but that was about it

And, the cast for Chasing Graves is really well put together. Each one stands on their own. None of them fell flat with me. I have my favorites: Etane, Caltro, and Ani. Etane because I want to see just how well he can use that sword, and because he comes with all the sass. Caltro because he doesn't want to be the hero of this story, but he's probably going to have to be. Lastly, Ani because she may not be able to hear you beg for your life, but she will enjoy taking it. There are also characters I don't enjoy so much, well mostly two: Vex and Nilith. Mostly Vex just annoys, more so after the ending. As for Nilith, I mean how lucky can one person be?!

Lastly, the writing style. I save this for last because it is more than amazing. So many different pieces are being weaved together in this first book. So many players put into actions, and not once did I feel the story falter. It has a good paces and jumps seamlessly between point-of-view. Chapter-by-chapter more of the story is being unraveled in front of you, but even as the book came to end, I'm not real sure what the endgame will be. Though I do know how more pieces fit together. The amount of research done for this book is easy to see. From the way the mention of the dead gods, to the way Araxes is set up, to the never ending desert. I felt like Caltro trying to unravel every piece of every mystery with each not bit of information that as given out.

In the end I'm left with a lot of questions. Is Nilith going to make it to the Nyxwell in time? What do the dead gods want with Caltro? Will someone smack Vex so hard his head spins? Among a few. All of my questions just make me want to jump into the second book even faster. While the book ended on a cliff hanger, which rude, I'm not unsatisfied with the ending. I'm just hoping the next books has more answered. Because all I now are theories and questions.

Buy, Borrow, or Skip: I'd say buy. This is one of those books that has a lot going on it, and is one you can ready a second time a find something you missed the first time. Some little thing you too busy theorizing to noticed you read.

HAPPY READING!! 

Cover Runway Sunday

They say don't judge a book by its 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!

This book is not for the faint of heart or weak in spirit. It’s not for skeptics who don’t believe in fairy tales and the powerful forces of good. It’s only for brave and intrepid souls like you, who will stare down evil in all its forms.

Inspired by the critically acclaimed film written and directed by Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro and reimagined by New York Times bestselling author Cornelia Funke, this haunting tale takes readers to a darkly magical and war-torn world filled with richly drawn characters like trickster fauns, murderous men, child-eating monsters, courageous rebels, and a long-lost princess hoping to be reunited with her family.

Perfect for fans of the movie and readers who are new to del Toro’s visionary work, this atmospheric and absorbing novel is a portal to another universe where there is no wall between the real and the imagined. A daring, unforgettable collaboration between two brilliant storytellers.

HAPPY READING!!

Happy Independent Bookstore Day

It's that time again. Time for Sarah and I to hit the road and try to hit seven of our local Independent Bookstores. Last year we managed five of them all while taking the bus. This year we've recruited my roommate to hit the two closest to our house. Then it's off on the bus to hit the last five. Last year we discovered some hidden jems of bookstores, and I cannot wait to see how many wrong buses we take this year.

Sarah has our route mapped out, out lunch spots are pre-chosen, and we have a list of the books we want to get. One new book from each stop. Hi-jinks will ensue, I'll get lost at least once, and there will be chicken wings! And, you know all the books we didn't plan on buying.

Whether you go out on a marathon trip, or just up the block, get out today and visit your local bookstore. I'm lucky to have three amazing stores so close to where a live and one not far from work. But, today of all days go out and say hi, and see what your local bookstore is getting up to on this not quite official book holiday.

Also jump over to my Twitter account, @_sullybear_, to see what kind of nonsense I'll be getting up today!

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.

For nearly ninety years, Hollywood's brightest stars have favored the Chateau Marmont as a home away from home. An apartment house-turned-hotel, it has hosted generations of gossip and folklore: 1930s bombshell Jean Harlow took lovers during her third honeymoon there; director Nicholas Ray slept with his sixteen-year-old Rebel Without a Cause star Natalie Wood; Anthony Perkins and Tab Hunter met poolside and began a secret affair; Jim Morrison swung from the balconies, once falling nearly to his death; John Belushi suffered a fatal overdose in a private bungalow; Lindsay Lohan got the boot after racking up nearly $50,000 in charges in less than two months.

Perched above the Sunset Strip like a fairytale castle, the Chateau seems to come from another world entirely. Its singular appearance houses an equally singular history. While a city, an industry, and a culture have changed around it, Chateau Marmont has welcomed the most iconic and iconoclastic personalities in film, music, and media. It appeals to the rich and famous not just for its European ambiance but for its seclusion: Much of what's happened inside the Chateau's walls has eluded the public eye.

Why I'm Waiting: Who doesn't love a good Hollywood scandal? It seems like a fun patio, or beach, read. With summer right around the corner, I'll need all of those I can get.

HAPPY READING!! 

New Release Tuesday

Genre: Non-Fiction

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 320

In 1942, the Allies were losing, Germany seemed unstoppable, and every able man in England was fighting. Churchill believed Britain was locked in an existential battle and created a secret agency, the Special Operations Executive (SOE), whose spies were trained in everything from demolition to sharp-shooting. Their job, he declared, was "to set Europe ablaze!" But with most men on the frontlines, the SOE did something unprecedented: it recruited women. Thirty-nine women answered the call, leaving their lives and families to become saboteurs in France. Half were caught, and a third did not make it home alive. 

In D-Day Girls, Sarah Rose draws on recently declassified files, diaries, and oral histories to tell the story of three of these women. There's Odette Sansom, a young mother who feels suffocated by domestic life and sees the war as her ticket out; Lise de Baissac, an unflappable aristocrat with the mind of a natural leader; and Andrée Borrel, the streetwise organizer of the Paris Resistance. Together, they derailed trains, blew up weapons caches, destroyed power and phone lines, and gathered crucial intelligence—laying the groundwork for the D-Day invasion that proved to be the turning point in the war. Stylishly written and rigorously researched, this is an inspiring story for our own moment of resistance, in which women continue to play a vital role.

HAPPY READING!!

Happy Easter

In just a few hours I'm about to have a house full demanding tacos, and honestly I cannot wait. I've been so busy the last few weeks that I cannot wait to have my friends gathered in one place. We may have gone a bit all out this year, but honestly I can't wait to see everyone and cook for them. Easter weekend is always a mad house our bakery. So it'll be nice to help some of my work family unwind. Though, I fear all of them are more excited to the cat than me. But, what can you do?

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend full of family and friends. May the Easter Bunny bring you all the books you could ever want, maybe even a few you didn't know you need. Also may he not be as creepy as the one from Bogus Adventure.

HAPPY EASTER!!

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.

Fatima lives in the city of Noor, a thriving stop along the Silk Road. There the music of myriad languages fills the air, and people of all faiths weave their lives together. However, the city bears scars of its recent past, when the chaotic tribe of Shayateen djinn slaughtered its entire population -- except for Fatima and two other humans. Now ruled by a new maharajah, Noor is protected from the Shayateen by the Ifrit, djinn of order and reason, and by their commander, Zulfikar. 

But when one of the most potent of the Ifrit dies, Fatima is changed in ways she cannot fathom, ways that scare even those who love her. Oud in hand, Fatima is drawn into the intrigues of the maharajah and his sister, the affairs of Zulfikar and the djinn, and the dangers of a magical battlefield. 

Why I'm Waiting: The lore behind djinn have fascinated me since that one episode of Supernatural, and this sounds like it's going to absolutely amazing.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Genre: Non-Fiction

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 288

Feminist historian Therese Oneill is back, to educate you on what to expect when you're expecting . . . a Victorian baby! In Ungovernable, Oneill conducts an unforgettable tour through the backwards, pseudoscientific, downright bizarre parenting fashions of the Victorians, advising us on: 

- How to be sure you're not too ugly, sickly, or stupid to breed

- What positions and room decor will help you conceive a son

- How much beer, wine, cyanide and heroin to consume while pregnant

- How to select the best peasant teat for your child

- Which foods won't turn your children into sexual deviants

- And so much more

Endlessly surprising, wickedly funny, and filled with juicy historical tidbits and images, Ungovernable provides much-needed perspective on -- and comic relief from -- the age-old struggle to bring up baby. 

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Tales of Pell #2

Pages: 352

The Skyr is a rich, verdant land claimed by both halflings and gnomes. For centuries, the halflings have worked to undermine gnomish power structures and seize total control--through legal means, certainly, but more insidiously through their extensive organized crime network. Now, threatened with being pushed out entirely, the gnomes are desperate and ready to fight back. Gustave the Goat King faces his first test as a leader: Can he bring peace to a fraught region or will a civil war consume the entire kingdom?

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

They say don't judge a book by its 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!

Ivy Gamble has never wanted to be magic. She is perfectly happy with her life—she has an almost-sustainable career as a private investigator, and an empty apartment, and a slight drinking problem. It's a great life and she doesn't wish she was like her estranged sister, the magically gifted professor Tabitha.

But when Ivy is hired to investigate the gruesome murder of a faculty member at Tabitha’s private academy, the stalwart detective starts to lose herself in the case, the life she could have had, and the answer to the mystery that seems just out of her reach.

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.

Lemon Fresh has seen better days.

After the climactic battle in Babel, she finds herself separated from Ezekiel and Cricket in the wastelands. Lemon’s abilities to manipulate electricity mark her as a deviate, and deadly corporate operatives are hunting her to use as a weapon in the war between BioMaas Incorporated and Daedelus Technologies. Instead, Lemon finds herself falling in with a group of fellow deviates—a band of teenagers with astonishing abilities, led by an enigmatic figure known as the Major, who may hold the secrets to Lemon’s past.

Meanwhile, Cricket finds himself in possession of the puritanical Brotherhood, a religious cult set for a head-on collision with the Major and his band. Searching for Lemon, Ezekiel finds a strange ally in an old enemy, and uncovers a plot that may see him reunited with his beloved Ana.

And inside Babel, a remade Eve hatches a plan to bring an end to the world. 

Why I'm Waiting: Because my love for Lemon Fresh burns bright and hot, and she must be protected at all costs.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Genre: True Crime

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 336

The "canonical five" women murdered by Jack the Ripper have always been dismissed as society's waste, their stories passed down to us wrapped in a package of Victorian assumptions and prejudice. But social historian Hallie Rubenhold sets the record straight in The Five. In reality, only two of the victims were prostitutes, and Rubenhold has uncovered entirely new research about them all--in some cases, material no one has ever seen before.

The Five tells for the first time the true stories of these fascinating women. It delves into the Victorian experience of poverty, homelessness, and alcoholism, but also motherhood, childbirth, sexuality, child-rearing, work, and marriage, all against the fascinating, dark, and quickly changing backdrop of nineteenth-century London. From rural Sweden to the wedding of Queen Victoria, from the London of Charles Dickens to the factories of the Industrial Revolution and the high-class brothels of the West End, these women were not just victims but witnesses to the vagaries and vicissitudes of the Victorian age.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

They say don't judge a book by its 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!

Warlock Holmes may have demons in his head, but now Dr. John Watson has a mummy in his bloodstream. Specifically that of the sorcerer Xantharaxes, who when shredded and dissolved in an 8% solution, results in some extremely odd but useful prophetic dreams. There’s also the small matter of Watson falling for yet another damsel-du-jour, and Warlock deciding that his companion needs some domestic bliss…

HAPPY READING!!

Bookish Whispers Quarterly Update

While March felt like the month that was honestly never going to end. It also doesn't feel like Spring should be here. I've gotten so use to Winter that the thought of longer days and sunshine seem a like a dream. Though considering where I live, it might a short term situation before we get weeks on weeks of rain. Anything is better than snow at this point, to be honest. I'm all excited to organize some beach and patio reads. To watch as my cats cry from the window because they are naughty and won't stay off the ledge so they cannot be outside with me.

Before all of that it's that though, it's time again to take a look at how the last three months went. Honestly, I was surprised how well the first quarter of the year has gone for me. Usually I've fallen into a reading slump by now, but honestly between work and life I've only been able to read a few chapters here in there the last two months. Still, I managed to sneak in some smaller, quicker, reads here and there.

Goodreads Challenge:

I'm always 2 books behind. At this point I've learned to live it with. For a small moments I get caught up, but then all of sudden I'm book behind. Then 2 books behind. It's a cycle and I've learned to go with it. The Goodreads Challenge is a personal push for me. To read more books than I did last year. However, this year I set it for the same number of books, 55, as 2018. Only because I as two books under that goal by the end of last year. Fingers crossed that manage this year!

Books Read Year-to-Date: 11

Pages Read Year-to-Date: 1,953

Number of pages read is another one I like to keep track of. More out of curiosity than anything else. The year I was unemployed for six months still hold the record for most pages read. I'm thinking maybe this year might take the cake. I've already read one pretty chunky book, I also have Obisdio and the second book of Deadly Class on my TBR. So I might come close to topping 2013 at 9,980 pages. Maybe.

So not only have I actually managed to carve out a decent amount of reading time into my ever changing life schedule. I've had a couple of posts do amazing this year! Thanks to both creators of the Silver graphic novel series and the Major Holmes and Captain Watson comic series, those can be found here. Those reviews are sitting well over fifty views. Which amazing! But for some random reason a Cover Runway Sunday post has been blown out of the water with views. The post can be found here, and at last glance was sitting well over a hundred and ninety views. Hands down huge moments for me. I rarely have posts jump like that and I'm so grateful for everyone whose finds me here on Bookish Whispers.

Reading has been such a big part of my life thanks to my Mom and my Mim. This is place for me to share that passion. To see some of posts spread out like that, and see people visiting from all over the world. It's really cool for the girl who grew up in the tiniest of towns. So despite how hard this year has been, this blog has been the little wins I've needed to keep pulling myself up by. So thank you everyone whose stopped by, whose discovered me, and who has shared a post. 

Now, how is everyone else doing this year!? Tell me about all the books you just couldn't put down, or stop talking about. And then, lest talk about the LIFEL1K3 series. Because I have some many feels about the first book, and I'm so worried about what's coming.

HAPPY READING!!

Beat the Backlist Quarterly Update

I honestly don't know how I just found out about Beat the Backlist this year. It's been great to help me weave in books from years ago that I meant to read when they were new. Some of which I pre-ordered and still  haven't read. I'm sure death my falling tower of books is how I'm going to die. In fact I'm certain my cat will the reason the fell in his attempt to wake me up to pay attention to him, or feed him. At this point either reason is a toss up. 

We're three months into the year and I've read four books that fell under Beat the Backlist. Which is probably more than I would have read since my TBR of books released this year is stupid big. So many good books. However, knowing I need to help out Team Hufflepuff means I've being paying more attention to the what book I'm picking up next. And, at this point we need some help! Sadly we're in last place. With summer around the corner I won't be huddle in the corner of bus stop trying not to turn into a popsicle. 

Going forward, I'm finishing up a review for Chasing Graves. Following that I picked up the Invisible Man from the library and I'm kinda in the mood for something Western. So maybe it's time for me to pick up the Best Bad Things soon.

How about all of you? Is Beat the Backlist helping with your TBR pile? How's your House Points looking?  

HAPPY READING!!

Book BINGO Quarterly Updated

Spring is finally here. It means the days are getting longer, the sun as reappeared in the Pacific Northwest, and I think we all survived the nuclear winter. My wallet is a little thinner thanks to the subzero temps, but I survived the cold. Which I hate, with a passion, it's one of the reason I left the Midwest. I don't like being cold! April being here means that a quarter of the year has finally passed us by, and in order to keep my motivated this year to not fall into reading slumps. Or, let outside forced distract me. Looking at you Netflix. I'm doing a Quarterly Updated! Starting with Book BINGO.  

Okay, so I thought I was doing pretty good considering only 3 months had passed! It would seem that I was incorrect in that assumption as both of my friends are smoking me. In fact I'm not overly certain how Sarah has read so many books! I have no idea how I'll catch up, but I've got money on her getting a fracking BINGO before I manage a new square. Here's a little side-by-side because I'm all about sharing my pain.

(Kathleen & Sarah)

(Kayla)

                           

Going forward into the year I don't a set TBR. I never stick them when I attempt to them. It's more a stack of books I'd like to get through before any of the others. Though, I'm real good at ignoring that for something else. Like a book my cat pulled off the shelve to chew on to show me how hungry he is. Because, hey, I forgot I owned that. Still I do have a couple of squares I'd like to have checked off by the end of the month.

Cookbook: The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook 

Edwardian: The Invisible Man 

Anybody else struggling through their own Book BINGO card? Any one at all doing better than Sarah? Either would make my day!

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.

The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering

And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.

They're not the heroes we deserve. They're just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.

Why I'm Waiting: I don't now if you saw that last line, but this sounds amazing! Plus, I'm a huge of Illuminae Series that Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff just tied by last year. I'm so pumped for this!

HAPPY READING!!