Cover Runway Sunday

          

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes, the cover initially 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'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out her shingle beside a long-absent friend’s coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her!

If only things were so simple…

It turns out that fixing your life isn’t a one-time prospect, nor as easy as a change of scenery and a lick of paint.

A drunken and desperate night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior surviving on inertia, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover.

As together they fend off a rogue’s gallery of ne’er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when there isn’t a job to get in the way.

HAPPY READING!!

Edmonds Silent Book Club

Forty-three people! We had forty-three people come read with this for the June Silent Book Club! I couldn't believe it had I watched us start to overflow not only into the fourth community table, but then two other smaller tables filled up. That was the biggest turnout we've had in sixteen months, we've been hosting the Edmonds Chapter of Silent Book Club! It was amazing to see so many people show up to read.

If you couldn't make it to the June Book Club, that's okay! Because we're doing it again in July! So if you're looking for something to do out of the sun on July 16th at 7pm, come read with us at Leftcraft and Edmonds! Next month, I'll be collecting middle-grade books to donate to a friend who works at a summer camp with a free little library. So if you have any middle-grade books you want to clear off your shelves, bring them to book club, and I'll take them to be donated!

HAPPY READING!!

Night Worms Unboxing

 

June Theme: Beneath the Bone

At Night Worms week is one of my favorite parts of the month! Because who doesn't love book mail? What has been great about Night Worms, at least for our house, is that there always seems to be an even split when it comes to the books each month. One I'm excited to read and one my roommate is excited to read.  This month was no exception; she's super excited for Immaculate Conception, while I was really excited for the short story collection Silk & Sinew. The difference is that she has to wait to get her hands on her book because she's out of town for work. Still gives her something to look forward to when she's back home.

Loved the stickers in the goodie bag! The Skeleton one is going to make its way onto my new water bottle. Not sure where the other one is going yet. I might need to get a sticker book of some kind, maybe one of the journals I've collected over the years. But I digress because I don't know how I feel about this coffee flavor. I mean, I do like a pina colada, but I'm not sure how I feel about it flavoring my coffee. I definitely don't have the right type of creamer for this flavor. Will have to fix that before I give this one a try.

Another fantastic month!

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we haven't yet 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 folks at Breaking the Spine.

The Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted is the premier academy for the dangerously powerful: the Anti-Christs and Ragnaroks, the world-eaters and apocalypse-makers.

Hellebore promises redemption, acceptance, and a normal life after graduation. At least, that’s what Alessa Li is told when she’s kidnapped and forcibly enrolled.

But there’s more to Hellebore than meets the eye. On graduation day, the faculty go on a ravenous rampage, feasting on Alessa’s class. Only Alessa and a group of her classmates escape the carnage. Trapped in the school’s library, they must offer a human sacrifice every night, or else the faculty will break down the door and kill everyone.

Why I'm Waiting: Cassandra Khaw is one of those authors whose books I read because they all sound so good!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

 

Callie, Declan, Lasser, and Radish find themselves amidst a plot to overthrow fairy royalty in the third installment of the hit Webtoon series Nothing Special, featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes material from the inimitable Katie Cook.

Laurel Poppyfield, matriarch of the fairy Poppyfield family, is dying. She holds the majority of the Poppyfields’ magic, and has no heir to give it to. Or so she thought until Callie, Declan, Lasser, and Radish walked into the family estate trying to find someone to heal Declan’s wing. It turns out Declan is Laurel’s grandson and practically fairy royalty, and the timing of his arrival could not be more perfect.

Not everyone is happy about Declan’s sudden appearance, though. Leir, one of Lasser’s older brothers, has worked for years to become a trusted presence in the Poppyfield home. He was Laurel’s top choice to inherit the family’s magic before Declan showed up, and he’s not about to let his plans get ruined. It’s up to Callie, Declan, Lasser, and Radish to thwart his nefarious schemes before the Poppyfield magic falls into the wrong hands.

The third installment of Katie Cook’s Nothing Special collects the final 25 episodes of Season 2 of the webcomic.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

         

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes, the cover initially 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'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:

He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.

That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.

But when Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn’s immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth. There’s just one caveat: He must choose a new guardian from amongst Laurie's scheming, backstabbing relatives to help manage the estate until he turns eighteen.

Except Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next. Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family’s dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he’s really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more.

HAPPY READING!!

A is for Arsenic - Review

Author: Kathryn Harkup

Genre: Nonfiction

Format: Audiobook

Hours Listen: 10 Hours

Agatha Christie's books will always have a special place in my heart because it was the only series that both my Great-Grandmother and I enjoyed. In fact, she was the one to introduce me to Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells. I don't know how many of her books I've read, watched, or listened to, but I find comfort in them. So it only made sense to jump into a book about the poisons she used in her books.

There was so much about this book that I really enjoyed. In fact, I planned on this book lasting me a couple of weeks as my 'work audiobook'. I normally only listen for a couple of hours before I get too busy and switch back to my music. That didn't really happen. What ended up happening was that my job seemed to be getting in the way of my audiobook. So then I'd need to switch over and listen to music to be a bit more productive.

As the title suggests, each chapters follow the alphabet and each letter is a different poison, but only poisons that appeared in Agatha Christie's books. So not every letter is accounted for (whether or not there's a poison for that letter.) It made me excited for every new chapter because it's been so long since I've dove into an Agatha Christie book, and I couldn't remember all the positions. So while a few letters I was confident to call out, a few I wasn't ready for.

I was also ready for how much I actually learned about this book. Not about Christie herself, her stories, or even characters, but how much science was actually in this book. Like I knew I was going to learn about the poisons and how they work, and then how they were used in the stories themselves. But I was ready for Kathryn to really break down each poison and give us more than just its biography. We learn about all the uses, both helpful and harmful, that can come from each poison. The way it was used throughout history, if it's still used today, and in some chapters, we got the entire breakdown of each base component.

As someone whose favorite classes were always chemistry, I loved this part. I loved that we got so much information on these poisons. Some of it was a bit shocking, some parts less so, and others, well, some side effects should really explain why you shouldn't ingest certain things.

The breakdown of each chapter was well done, too. Not only do you get the history of the poisons and it's origin. You learn about the stories each poison appears in, and Kathryn does her best to avoid spoilers. When she couldn't avoid those spoilers, she told you to skip ahead to the next chapter so you could still enjoy the story later. We also got real-life cases where each poison was used, some before Christie's time, and some after. In fact, some might have gotten a bit of inspiration from Christie, if rumors are to be believed.

I loved this book as an audiobook. It's a nerdy, true-crime-loving, murder mystery reading fans kind of book. It's well researched, well organized, and Kathryn knew her audience and what they were looking for. I was sad when I realized I was on the last chapter and to learn I still had about before her next book hits shelves, V is for Venom. 

Seriously, I will so listen to another ten hours of this and not get bored. It made the tiny little science nerd in me so happy.

HAPPY READING!!

Alanna: The Graphic Novel Adaptation - Review

Author: Tamora Pierce / Vita Ayala

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult / Graphic Novel

Format: Paperback

Pages: 256

Tamora Pierce is one of my favorite authors. I discovered her on one of our family vacations, one of those rare times I convinced my parents to take me to the bookstore. I couldn't tell you what vacation it was, but I devoured the Daughter of the Lioness duology on that vacation. The rest was history. Nawat was the first time I fell in love with a fictional character. Then, there was George Cooper, and really, after that, it was all downhill with the morally grey fictional fantasy characters. So when I found out that the Song of the Lioness series was getting a graphic novel adaptation, I had very little chill about this information. I've been so excited to see Alan, Jon, Roal, and George in full color for the first time.

I mean, at this point, we're never getting any sort of live action, cartoon, movie, or situation. So this was the absolute next best thing.

Honestly, I went into this a little hesitant. Would Vita and Sam have the same kind of love for this story as I did? Would we picture Tortall and the characters the same way? I was nervous and excited to jump into this because no one wants to see one of their childhood favorites mangled.

There wasn't anything for me to worry about. I realized it had been so long since I read this series. I've re-read Daughter of the Lioness and Bekka Cooper in the last few years, but never Alanna's story again. So in some ways, it was almost like getting to read this book again. I remember so much of this series, but just not where in Alanna's time each event falls. But I do remember which character we absolutely cannot trust. Though I cannot remember who is protecting Alanna.

Personally, I feel like Vita and Sam not only did these characters justice, but held true to little I honestly remember of this first book (yes, I need to find the audiobook and a re-read. It's on my list). It was so much fun to jump back into this story and start this journey all over again. Only this time there are faces to names, and personally, nothing disappointment me. I hope so much that Vita and Sam will be allowed to continue this series. Because I will not hesitate to no only buy the second book, but devour it. 

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we haven't yet 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 folks at Breaking the Spine.

Ronnie doesn't know it yet, but her fate rests in the hands of the dead. 

Silent film star Venita Rost's malevolent spirit lurks spider-like in her cliffside mansion, a once-beautiful home that's claimed countless unlucky souls. And she's not alone. Snared in her terrible web, Inspector Bartholomew Sloan—her eternal nemesis—watches her wreak havoc in helpless horror, shackled by his own guilt and Venita's unrelenting wrath.

Now the house has yet another new owner. This time it's Ronnie Mitchell, a grieving woman who buys the run-down place sight unseen. She arrives armed with an unexpected inheritance, a strong background in renovation, and a blissful ignorance regarding the house's blood-soaked history. But her arrival has stirred up more than just dust and decay. In the shadows, unseen eyes watch. Then, a man comes knocking. He brings wild stories and a thinly veiled jealousy, as well as a secret connection to the house that can only lead to violence.

Venita's fury awakens, and a deadly game unfolds.

Caught between a vengeful ghost and a ruthless living threat, Ronnie's skepticism crumbles. The line between living and dead isn't as sharp as it seems, and she realizes too late that in Venita's house, survival might be just an illusion.

Why I'm Waiting: I'm a huge fan of Cherie Priest, and she's an auto-buy author for me!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Every woman who has lived on this farm has died. Emily just moved in.

When Emily Hauk's mother dies, it's time for her and her husband, Josh, to finally leave San Francisco. A farm in rural Nebraska is everything they want for a fresh start: clear skies, low costs, and distance from the grief back home. 

They should have asked why the farm was for sale. 

Three years ago a teenage girl went missing from the farm. Soon afterward, the girl's mother mysteriously died. The deeper Emily digs the more stories she uncovers of women connected to her new home who've met their own dark ends.

With each passing day Emily's sanctuary slips further away. The barn seems to move throughout her property as though chasing her. Her mother's favorite music drifts across the cornfield. She swears she saw blood in one of the farmhand's trucks. And the screams that wake her are not fox howls, no matter how many times her husband says they are. If she wants to claim this place as her own she'll have to find out the truth before whatever watches from the cornfield takes her, too.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

        

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes, the cover initially 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'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

A young Victorian woman unwittingly unleashes a monster into being in this gothic tale of medical mystery and sinister suspense, perfect for fans of A STUDY IN DROWNING and ANATOMY: A LOVE STORY.

When seventeen-year-old Dilly Rothbart finds her recently deceased father's hidden journal, her entire world is upended. For what she finds within are the steps to bring a dead soul back to life.

Intent on finishing her father's work and establishing herself as the greatest scientist in history, Dilly finds herself drawn into a medical underworld of corpse-stealing, grave-robbing, and even murder. And when her own twin sister steps in the way of her studies, she'll do whatever is necessary to secure the recognition she deserves.

This twisty, atmospheric Frankensteinian tale is about a group of ambitious young scientists who descend into corruption when a breakthrough discovery grants them the power of gods.

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we haven't yet 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 folks at Breaking the Spine.

What if a mystifying revolt precluded the Civil War and changed history as we know it? The vampire origin story is brilliantly reimagined in this terrifying novel of ancient lore, startling revenge, and immortal emancipation in eighteenth-century America.

In the Province of Carolina, 1710, freedom seems unattainable for Willie, for his beloved Gertie, and for their unborn child. They live, suffer, and toil under their brutal master, James “Big Jim” Barrow, whose grand plantation was built by the blood, sweat, and tears of the enslaved. To flee this hell on earth is be hunted and killed. Until one strange night Willie is offered a dark hope by Rafazi, an enigmatic slave with an irresistible and blood-chilling path to liberation.

Hailing from the Kingdom of Ghana, Rafazi is the lone survivor of the Ramanga, an African vampire tribe rendered nearly extinct by plague. Rafazi has roamed the world for centuries with an undying desire to replenish the power that once defined his heritage. In Willie, Rafazi has found his first biddable subject to be turned and to help in a hungry revolt. And Willie desires nothing more than to free his people from malicious bondage. Whatever it takes.

One by one, as an army of blood slaves thirsting for revenge is gathered, the headstrong Gertie fears that no good can come from the vampiric legacy that courses through Rafazi’s veins. Willie knows that only evil can fight evil. And when the woman he loves stands between the reemergence of the Ramanga and the justified slaughter of the oppressors, Willie must make an irreversible decision. Only one thing is certain: on the Barrow plantation, and beyond, blood will spill.

Part historical drama, part supernatural horror, and part alternate history, Blood Slaves is an ingenious and defiant new creation myth of the vampire, one rooted in both justice and the sometimes-violent means necessary to achieve it.

Why I'm Waiting: I'm a fan of alt history, even more so when you add vampires!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

How do you solve a murder that hasn't happened yet?

Destiny Whip is a former child prodigy, world-renowned enigmatologist and very, very alone. A life filled with loss has made her a recluse, an existence she’s content to endure until a letter arrives inviting her to interview for the position of Scruffmore family historian. Not only does an internet search for the name yield almost nothing, it’s a role she never applied to in the first place!

After she decodes the invitation’s hidden message with ease, the promise of her family secrets being revealed is too powerful a draw for the orphaned Destiny, who soon finds herself on Eerie Island. It’s a place whose inhabitants are almost as inhospitable as the tempestuous weather. The Scruffmores themselves turn out to be not much better, a snarled mess of secrets and motives connected by their mistrust for one another.

Their newly arrived guest proves to be just as much an enigma to them as they are to her. While Destiny slowly works to unravel the mysteries hidden throughout the ominous castle, she struggles to interpret disturbing nightly visions of what is to come. In the midst of cryptic ciphers, hidden passages, and the family’s magical heritage and line of succession, Destiny is certain of two things: one of the Scruffmores is going to die and she’s running out of time to stop it.

Interspersed with riddles and puzzles that both Destiny and the reader must solve, A Most Puzzling Murder is a one-of-a-kind mystery that will leave you guessing and gasping until the very last page!

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

        

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes, the cover initially 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'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

Imagine if the Sackler family had a demon at their beck and call.

The Berisha family runs one of the largest import-export companies in the world, and they’ve always been lucky. Their rivals suffer strokes. Inconvenient buildings catch on fire. Earthquakes swallow up manufacturing plants, destroying harmful evidence. Things always seem to work out for the Berishas. They’re blessed.

At least that is what Zef, the patriarch, has always told his three children. And each of them knows their place in the family—Dardan, as the only male heir, must prepare to take over as keeper of the Berisha secrets, Maris’s most powerful contribution, much to her dismay, will be to marry strategically, and Nora’s job, as the youngest, is to just stay out of the way. But when things stop going as planned, and the family blessing starts looking more like a curse, the Berishas begin to splinter, each hatching their own secret scheme. They didn’t get to be one of the richest families in the world without spilling a little blood, but this time, it might be their own.

HAPPY READING!!

June Spotlight

 

I'm about halfway through this book, and I'm loving every second of it. I'm in love with both main characters and the way the authors have set up the narration of this book. Who doesn't love a fourth wall break every few pages! This definitely had Knight Tale vibes.

Gwen is sick of hiding—hiding the fact that she’s taken over her father’s blacksmithing duties, hiding her attraction to girls, hiding her yearning for glory as a knight.

Meanwhile, Lady Isobelle of Avington, queen bee of the castle, has never once considered hiding who she is—until now. She’s been chosen as the grand prize in the Tournament of Dragonslayers, to be given to whichever knight can claim her hand. And for the first time in her life, she can’t talk her way out of trouble.

When Isobelle discovers Gwen’s knightly ambitions, they hatch a scheme together—Gwen will joust in the tournament, disguised as Sir Gawain. Winning means freedom for Isobelle, and glory for Gwen. Losing means… well, let’s not go there.

One thing’s for sure: falling in love was never the plan.

But the best laid plans…are often trampled all over by dragons.

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 that 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 folks at Breaking the Spine.

Two years ago Mercy Gray was hailed as a hero for saving lives during a mall shooting. She still carries souvenirs from that incident: the fragment of a bullet lodged in her back, a mountain of medical debt, and guilt for ignoring her sister’s warnings that the sweet boy next door was anything but.

When billionaire-turned-TV-host Damien Dare recruits Mercy to compete on his new survivalist reality show, she can’t turn down a chance at the whopping cash prize that could send her sister to college—but when she and the other contestants arrive at the off-grid location, something isn’t right. The set is empty. The gates close without warning, trapping them inside. Then one of them turns up dead. What appeared at first to be a tragic accident quickly transforms as more contestants start dying. With time and resources running low, surviving this show takes on a new meaning.

Why I'm Waiting: Kate Alice Marshall is one of my favorite authors! 

HAPPY READING!!

 

New Release Tuesday

Gwen is sick of hiding—hiding the fact that she’s taken over her father’s blacksmithing duties, hiding her attraction to girls, hiding her yearning for glory as a knight.

Meanwhile, Lady Isobelle of Avington, queen bee of the castle, has never once considered hiding who she is—until now. She’s been chosen as the grand prize in the Tournament of Dragonslayers, to be given to whichever knight can claim her hand. And for the first time in her life, she can’t talk her way out of trouble.

When Isobelle discovers Gwen’s knightly ambitions, they hatch a scheme together—Gwen will joust in the tournament, disguised as Sir Gawain. Winning means freedom for Isobelle, and glory for Gwen. Losing means… well, let’s not go there.

One thing’s for sure: falling in love was never the plan.

But the best laid plans…are often trampled all over by dragons.

HAPPY READING!!

May Wrap Up

Ugh, this was not a reading month for me. First, the work was busy; then I caught up on sleep and other things, and then it was busy again. Then, I was busy again. The icing on the cake was that I caught up on some sort of task. It was gross; I didn't like it, and I'm so thankful it only lasted twenty-four hours. However, I still sound like Muttley from the Wacky Races, which isn't a good look on anyone.  It also meant that the last few days, I haven't wanted to stare at a Kindle screen and risk my headache. But the thought of diving into either of my physical reads felt exhausting. So, in an attempt not to taint two books I'm really enjoying so far, I moved onto the large stack of graphic novels I picked up at the library forever ago.

I still only managed three books and one audiobook at work. So, I managed to do some reading. At least I have fewer library books in the house. I've got my fingers crossed that June is a better month for me. Hard telling if I'm on the mend, and the next couple aren't as jam-packed as the last two weeks. Hopefully, on the mend too, but I'm who knows. 

Books Read: 4
BINGO Books: 0

Pages Read: 752

Nothing, nada, I hit no BINGO squares. It was a hard reading month, and I went with the joy. Sadly, none of those hit any of my remaining squares.

HAPPY READING!!