New Release Tuesday

Everyone remembers their secret imaginary world…but what if you discovered that yours was real? 

When Arthur and Rose were little, they were the heroes of Roar, a magical world they invented where the wildest creations of their imaginations roamed. Now that they’re eleven, Roar is just a distant memory. But it hasn’t forgotten them.

When their grandfather is spirited away into Roar by the villain who still haunts their nightmares, Arthur and Rose must go back to the world they’d almost left behind. And when they get there, they discover that Grandad isn’t the only one who needs their help.

HAPPY READING!!

July TBR

I definitely fell into halfway through June. There were a lot of reasons for it, but it didn't a help that a book I'd been pretty excited fell a bit flat for me. Over the last week I've been able to dig myself out of it with graphic novels! Sadly it means I didn't get through my TBR and I had some great read there. So I'm going to roll those over into July with a couple of addition. 

I'm currently reading Incendiary and I'm loving the world building and the plot is moving along nicely. I just havn't connected with the characters yet, but I'm only a quarter of the way through it. But I could see Dex becoming the next love of my life.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sundays

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 is dealing with a jerk, who just so happens to be a stockbroker. There may be a link. He's also trying to hunt down some tokens to control something magical (it's all rather complicated), and Moriarty just won't stop taking over people's bodies. And of course Dr. John Watson is by his side (mostly), but not quite as useful as he once was...

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

This is a combo of my favorite kid series and my favorite TV Show, and it was super cute! It was everything I've come to enjoy from the Pop Classic series. Bright colored panels and a fun story. Plus it was everything I love about Doctor Who. I mishap with the TARDIS, a strange adventure with some pretty cool creatures, some science, and maybe a small life lesson. It was a fun patio read this morning with my coffee. 4 Stars!

HAPPY READING!!

Library Haul

And, my local library is back open! Short of, but my bank account is very happy that I can put stuff on hold again and pick it up. This week is another small haul, but it'll be nice to weave some library books in with my personal TBR. I've finally managed to pull myself out of this slump in time for some good weather!

The move, the game, CLUE is one my favorite things and I've been super excited about this book, but for some reason I've yet to pick up. With the sequel just a few months from being released, and the paperback due to be released in Sept, it seemed like the perfect time to dive into it. And, it seems like fun night time patio read. As for the Graphic Novel, it had me at Mike Mignola. From his artwork to story lines I really love his work. So I'm excited for this short story!

    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.

As our story opens, a sea of troubles threatens the valiant Resistance, who are pursued by the sound and fury of the vile First Order. Can Rey, Poe, Finn, Rose, BB-8, Chewbacca, and their allies overcome such toil and trouble? Shall Kylo Ren be proven fortune’s fool or master of his fate? What will become of the House of Skywalker? And is all well that ends well?

Why I'm Waiting: Because despite being a few books behind in this series, I absolutely love it!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

1834. Sophia Thompson wants nothing more than to be one of the famed Bow Street Runners, London's most elite corps of detectives. Never mind that a woman has never before joined their ranks--and certainly never mind that her reclusive family has forbidden her from pursuing such an unladylike goal.

She gets the chance to prove her capabilities when an urgent letter arrives from her frantic cousin Daphne, begging Sophia to come look into the suspicious death of Daphne's brother.

As Sophia begins to unravel the tangled threads of the case--with the help of a charming young policeman--she soon realizes that the murderer may be even closer to her family than she ever suspected. 

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sundays

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!

Two girls went down to the woods... But only one came back.

There's a lot from Tess's childhood that she would rather forget. The family who moved next door and brought chaos to their quiet lives. The two girls who were murdered, their killer never found. But the only thing she can't remember is the one thing she wishes she could.

Ten years ago, Tess's older sister died. Ruled a tragic accident, the only witness was Tess herself, but she has never been able to remember what happened that night in the woods.

Now living in London, Tess has resolved to put the trauma behind her. But an emergency call from her father forces her back to the family home, back to where her sister's body was found, and to the memories she thought were lost forever...

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

This was a super cute re-telling of the Sorcerer's Apprentice! The artwork is very much in the vein of Tim Burton with a dash of Edward Gorey, which I adored. It's a super cute bed time story about why being a lazy lout is no good, and how you never get something for nothing. The vacuum our main characters gets sold is probably what my cat sees every time I vacuum house. And while the vampire might be a little scary, living in a house with a wizards has its advantages! 4 Stars!

This was so stinking cute! I've been in the mood for a Western genre read for a while now, and this was a great way to jump into that need. I loved both Grace and Flor. The artwork is amazing and I loved that it used softer tones. So much happened in our history during the era of the Civil War, but because of the the War itself everything else sort got pushed aside. So it's nice to jump into our history during that time that ran parallel to the War. I'm glad I picked this one up. 5 Stars!

 

HAPPY READING!!

The Living Dead Review

Author: George A. Romero & Daniel Kraus

Genre:  Horror

Format: ARC

Pages: 600+

I received a free ARC copy of this from BookishFirst for my honest review.

I have to say I was really excited for this book. The first zombie I ever saw was Night of The Living Dead. Since them I've been a George A Romero fan every since. So I was thrilled when I learned I was going to get a copy of  The Living Dead.  A struggled with this book for several reasons. Some of which were own personal issue and some were the book itself. But, let's start with some positives.

This might be the one of the best openings I've read in a while for in the horror genre. What better place to start the zombie apocalypse than in a morgue? Despite having started this book in the middle of the afternoon I was a little creeped out by it. Not to mention it was an amazing set up for later on in the book.  It set the tone for the rest the book and I was excited. In fact all the intro chapters to the cast of characters was amazing. All of them came with different backgrounds, in different parts of the country, all going out the end of the world a little different. However after a while I started to see my interest in the story draining.

The book is very detailed orientated which was great for understanding how the zombies came to be, and how the world was changing. But, the stories also jumped a lot from past and present with each character and I found myself getting things crossed and having to go back to re-read certain things because I lot of information is getting fired at you once. I found it hard to read for long stretches out at time always felt tired after any amount of time spent reading. Though I liked a lot of the characters eventually I stopped picking this up.

But, I realized I needed to know what happened to Greer and Muse. To the Face. So I pushed my way through the rest of the story.

There were some great moments in between especially toward then end when Etta was interviewing everyone about how they survived. It was a fast pace look everything when missed when the story final time jumped. I liked the we got to see Annie's story all the way through to the very end. I really liked the story of what happened on the Olympia. It was creepy and terrifying in a way that had nothing to do with the zombies, but in the way humans handled the plague. The stories on how we were quick to turn on each other.

Still, it took my three months to read this book because I just kept hoping it would get better, and parts of it did. Then it would get strange again and I'd loose interest again. The last section however was almost it's saving grace when we get to the Old Muddy. When you get to see who some how managed to survive, and how the zombies were sort fading out due to lack of food. Then it all got jumbled again when the villain from the start of the book just popped back up.

He just strolled into the Old Muddy to basically bring it crumbling down because they were living in sync with the zombies. Because he had nothing better do and just started the chain of events all over again. Everyone who fight to survive was dead again. It was just really unsatisfying and disappointing. Like I'm all for killing off characters to strike emotion. Maybe as the reader I was suppose to left feeling hopeless, but I was glad to have finished it. Because honestly I should have maybe given up 2 months ago.

I will say this. There were a handful of chapters from the zombies point of view. Those were hands down the best part of the book and I wished we'd gotten a few more chapters into their collective heads. It was chilling and strange, but different in a way that I really liked. But everything else kind of left me wanting.

Buy, Borrow, or Skip: I saw skip and watch some of his movies instead. Though a lot of people seem to have enjoyed their early copies of this and I'm glad. It just was not for me.

The Living Dead comes out August 4, 2020!  

HAPPY READING!!

Library Haul

Trying to dig myself out of a reading slump that I fell into the last few weeks. Came across a couple of quick reads that might do just a thing. I've kind of had more bad luck than good with my last few picks of things to read. So hopefully these will be the kick I need before I dive back into by TBR. I don't want to start a new book while in a slump.

 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.

A PRINCESS
A STABLE BOY
A QUEST

When her father dies, Princess Amarande is given an ultimatum: Marry the leader of one of the four neighboring kingdoms, or lose her crown—and possibly her life. And to force her hand, her beloved, the stable boy Luca, is kidnapped.

But Amarande was raised to be a warrior, not a sacrifice.

And nothing will stop her from saving her true love and rescuing her kingdom.

The acclaimed author of Sea Witch turns the classic damsel-in-distress tale on its head with this story of adventure, identity, and love.

Why I'm Waiting: I'm always down for a quest where the Princess doesn't need to be saved!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

In this eagerly awaited sequel, Nathan takes us back to his charming and instantly recognizable planet colored in bright pinks, blues, greens, and purples, providing more escapades, jokes, and p h r a s e s.

Nathan mixes his most popular Instagram comics with more than thirty original works created exclusively for this second volume to explore four major topics: traditions, nature, emotions, and knowledge. He inducts new and longtime fans into a strangely familiar world and its culture, from “cohesion” (marriage) to “mild poison” (alcohol) to the full lyrics to “The Small Eight-Legged Creature” (sung to the tune of The Itsy-Bitsy Spider).

Bright, colorful, and whimsical—yet charmingly familiar—Stranger Planet is out-of-this-world fun.

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

This was really fun and solid Witcher novel. I really enjoyed Geralt's traveling companion in this volume compared to the last volume. It had all the quips I've come to love, and the banter between the Witcher and the Dwarf were aces. But the story was definitely better with Volume 2. I really love that Geralt isn't just a monster hunter that isn't so black and white, he lives in a creepy little grey area. It was solid story with amazing artwork, and it good see Geralt something nice at the end. And the creature feature in this one was really cool to. 5 stars!

This volume shares one of the stories shown in the television series about the Striga. Only in this version Geralt is telling the story to Ciri as they go off to hunt their own. However, despite a few great scenes at the start, it sort of fell apart for me plot wise. About the time Yennifer showed up is when I started to lose interest. Which blows because I'm really like that character, as much as anyone can like Yennifer that is. The artwork was great though! Just honestly the whole section with them going on the side quest with Yennifer didn't feel natural. I put this one volume down more than the other two as well. 3 Stars!

HAPPY READING!! 

 

Cover Runway Sundays

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!

Fifteen-year-old RJ Armante has never known a life outside his dead-end hometown of Arcangel, CA. The Blackjacks still rule as they have for generations, luring the poorest kids into their monopoly on petty crime. For years, they’ve left RJ alone…until now.

When the Blackjacks come knocking, they want RJ to prey upon an old loner. But RJ is at his breaking point. It’s not just about the gang who rules the town. It’s about Charley, his younger brother, who is disabled. It’s about Roxanne, the girl he can’t reach. It’s about the kids in his crew who have nothing to live for. If RJ is to resist, he must fight to free Archangel of its past.

HAPPY READING!!