Wednesday, September 30, 2020

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.

In the aftermath of Headmaster Boddy’s murder, Blackbrook Academy has been thrown into complete disarray. Half the student body hasn’t bothered to return to campus—but those who have include Orchid, Vaughn, Scarlett, Peacock, Plum, and Mustard, now warily referred to by the other students as the Murder Crew. When another staff member is found dead and an anonymous threat begins to target the group, each of the teen’s opportunistic reasons for sticking around come to light. Orchid’s identity comes under question while Vaughn’s family life takes a turn; Finn and Mustard grow closer; and Scarlett and Beth struggle to turn over new leaves. All of this comes to a dramatic head at Tudor House with a cliff-hanger... 

Why I'm Waiting: I really adored the first book in this series, and I'm excited to jump back into this series and found out what the twins are up to!

HAPPY READING!!

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

New Release Tuesday

 

Lesson One of the Scholomance

Learning has never been this deadly

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets. There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.

HAPPY READING!!

Monday, September 28, 2020

October TBR

 

Hello, Spooky Season! I have so many books that I wanted to put on this TBR, and to be honest I may have gotten a bit overboard. Especially since this has not been my best reading month, but here we are. A couple of these I forgot that I owned until I was searching through my shelves. So I'm hoping now that I'm in a routine with the new job I'll be able to pull myself out of this reading rut I've found myself in. Because I'm really excited about this TBR.

A Demon-Haunted Land is an e-book and I just started an audiobook at work, Devolution by Max Brooks. My roommate just finished the audiobook and talked me into snagging from the library as well. So far I'm really enjoying that. I also just realized that Annable Lee is a series and I somehow managed to get the first book in the series. I also have a Halloween Reading Challenge this month that will put a few more books on my list. It's a hefty TBR but I got this!

Anybody else have any spooky reads popping up on the TBR this month?! 

HAPPY READING!!

Sunday, September 27, 2020

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!  

Aspiring painter Alden Oakes is invited to join a mysterious art commune in Arkham: the New Colony. When celebrated Spanish surrealist Juan Hugo Balthazarr visits the colony, Alden and the other artists quickly fall under his charismatic spell. Balthazarr throws a string of decadent parties for Arkham’s social elite, conjuring arcane illusions which blur the boundaries between nightmare and reality. Only slowly does Alden come to suspect that Balthazarr’s mock rituals are intended to break through those walls and free what lies beyond. Alden must act, but it might already be too late to save himself, let alone Arkham.



HAPPY READING!!

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

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 Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
 


Why I'm Waiting: Because I'm a glutton for punishment and will read anything VE Schwab writes even though I know they'll rip my heart and probably stomp on it.

HAPPY READING!!

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

New Release Tuesday

 

Anna does boring things for terrible people because even criminals need office help and she needs a job. Working for a monster lurking beneath the surface of the world isn’t glamorous. But is it really worse than working for an oil conglomerate or an insurance company? In this economy? As a temp, she’s just a cog in the machine. But when she finally gets a promising assignment, everything goes very wrong, and an encounter with the so-called “hero” leaves her badly injured.  And, to her horror, compared to the other bodies strewn about, she’s the lucky one.

So, of course, then she gets laid off.

With no money and no mobility, with only her anger and internet research acumen, she discovers her suffering at the hands of a hero is far from unique. When people start listening to the story that her data tells, she realizes she might not be as powerless as she thinks.

Because the key to everything is data: knowing how to collate it, how to manipulate it, and how to weaponize it. By tallying up the human cost these caped forces of nature wreak upon the world, she discovers that the line between good and evil is mostly marketing.  And with social media and viral videos, she can control that appearance.

It’s not too long before she’s employed once more, this time by one of the worst villains on earth. As she becomes an increasingly valuable lieutenant, she might just save the world.


My review of Hench can be found here!

HAPPY READING!!

Sunday, September 20, 2020

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!  

In a walled city of a mile-high iron guild towers, many things are common knowledge: No book in any of the city's libraries reveals its place on a calendar or a map. No living beasts can be found within the city's walls. And no good comes to the guilder or foundling who trespasses too far from their labors.

Even on the tower rooftops, where Errol Thebes and the rest of the city's teenagers pass a few short years under an open sky, no one truly believe anything uncommon is possible within the city walls.

But one guildmaster has broken tradition to protect her child, and as a result the whole city faces an uncommon threat: a pair of black iron spikes that have the power of both sword and needle on the ribcages of men have gone missing, but the mayhem they cause rises everywhere. If the spikes not found and contained, no wall will be high enough to protect the city--or the world beyond it.

And Errol Thebes? He's not dead and he's certainly not safe.


HAPPY READING!!

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Mini Reviews


This was absolutely adorable! I didn't realize this was written by a father/daughter duo that wrote this. Which makes it all more adorable. The story itself is written in iambic pentameter and follows the story as Yorick resurrection after many, many, years. The artwork is bright, vivid, and is a wonderful addition as Yorick navigates this new world. As for the story itself, it's very heartwarming as Yorick searches for a friend only to realize he's had one all along. It's a lovely reminder of why we care so much for our furry friends, and how sometimes what we're looking for is right in front of us. 5 Stars!

This was a weird set of short stories that were told to the reader at the same club, the Diogenes.  Like with most short story collections there were some I liked and some I didn't. I wouldn't go out on a limb and say they were scary, but they were definitely weird. The artwork was good and helped to tell each story and tie them to the club. Though this is very much an adult graphic novel. I wish a couple of the stories had been expanded a few more pages, and that the panels wouldn't have been so tightly packed. It made it hard to follow the story in a couple of places, and hard to see details in the ebook version. 3 Stars!

What a strange little novella. It wasn't at all what I was thinking it would be. I'm not sure how I got it stuck in my head that this more a Gothic tale. While I imagine waking up to realize you have turned into a beetle is horrifying, especially one that as large as Gregor was, the story was sadder than anything else. Gregor sort of came at being turned into a beetle a far bit more rationally than the rest of us, and you have to give is family some credit they tried. I think, though maybe they could have done better. After all, he could have turned into a far my vile creature than a beetle no matter is size. Still, my heart broke for Gregor as the story went on, and I wished he'd just escaped. It was an interesting ready and after sitting on my shelf for five years I finally picked up. I just don't see myself reading any other stories by Kafka anytime soon. 3 Stars!

HAPPY READING!!






Wednesday, September 16, 2020

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.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe – witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin…desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden.

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems…



Why I'm Waiting: I don't see a lot of books that feature a streghe as their sort of "creature feature", and I just started Stalking Jack the Ripper I do love Kerri Maniscalco's writing style.

HAPPY READING!!

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

New Release Tuesday

 

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

HAPPY READING!!

Monday, September 14, 2020

Book Haul

 

I've been itching to go back to the bookstore since my favorite local re-opened, but with transferring from one job to another I haven't had the time. So on the last day of my old job it felt right to celebrate both that and the start of Spooky Season by doing a bit of book shopping. My local place has its system down and I like that they have a set time. If I'd been alone I'd of set a timer because I lose time in book stores. However, this time I went with my flatmate so in other words, I had a minder! 



I had a small idea of what I wanted because it is the Spooky Season and I've been in the mood for some horror and thrillers. The only book was out of stock from my list and I knew it was a possibility since they only had one in stock. I did however snag a couple things not on my list: 1922 because I've been wanting to watch the mini-series but needed to read the book first and The Twisted Ones which has been on my TBR since last year so I couldn't help but snag it up. As for the other two Nobody Knows But You is one my most anticipated reads this year, and Hester Fox is an author I just discovered. So I'm devouring her books at the moment.

Anybody else have books that they set aside for Spooky Season? Any that you can't wait to get your hands on?

HAPPY READING!!

Sunday, September 13, 2020

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!  


London is a powder keg… and Eliza Braxton is the match.

Imagine a London where magic is real… real, but feared. This is Eliza Braxton’s London, and she has always accepted her place in it gladly. As one of the Riftborn, her magic has relegated her to the servant class, where she dutifully serves as the lady’s maid in one of the most powerful households in the country. There, she uses her remarkable powers of persuasion to keep Elder Hallewell’s rebellious daughter in the path to an arranged match of power and prosperity. Eliza has never questioned her loyalty… until now.

Currents of discontent are roiling beneath the city’s surface, and Eliza’s comfortable existence is about to be caught up in the tide. A resistance is building, a resistance that covets Eliza’s talents above all else. But can Eliza betray everything she’s ever known for things she never dared to dream?

What the Lady's Maid Knew is the first thrilling installment in E.E. Holmes' new series The Riftmagic Saga.


HAPPY READING!!

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Mini Reviews

 



 I didn't know much about this going in. I'm a fan of Joelle Jones, one of my favorite comic series is Lady Killer, which was reason enough to pick it up. The story takes place in a dystopian world where a virus had "dusted" all the adults. No one above the age of twelve is still alive, and the story starts off with our main character, Lisa, hunting down food on local farms. You learn about the virus through a letter a father left for his son, and you sort of piece the rest together. I have a few questions that I wished would have been addressed. Mostly how Logan survived his burns and if anyone recently had survived the age of thirteen. There is a mention of antidote, but nothing more is brought up about it. The plot was easy to follow and flowed pretty well, Joelle Jones artwork was vibrant and brought the story to life. It reminds me of the show I use to watch with my little brother, The Tribe. 3 Stars!

What a weird and creepy little book of nursery rhymes. It's definitely in the vein of Edward Gorey with a dash of Addams family here and there. Each story has a "moral" to it, though I wouldn't really recommend this to kids. As an adult though it was a fun way to get into Spooky Season. Some twisted nursery rhymes before bed. The stories are small and the entire book is a quick and fun read. The artwork is a great addition to each story. I only ran into a couple of issues, both might be because I read this in ebook form through my Libby app. So they aren't really worth mentioning since neither really pulled away from my overall enjoyment. 3 Stars!

HAPPY READING!!

Friday, September 11, 2020

Favorite Graphic Novels

While my love of reading came from my Mom and my Mim, my love for comics came from my Dad. He's the one who first introduced me to Batman, and the rest just sort of evolved from there. These days I read fewer superhero comics and graphic novels, I still read a wide variety of other genres. I have always found that a well done graphic novel can pull me out of a reading slump, help me get over a bad book hangover, or help if I've just hit a burnt-out stage in my reading. I also really like to use the nonfiction ones as a starting point for learning something new. Over the last few years of blogging, I've discovered a lot of graphic novels that I've enjoyed. With a couple, I've been lucky enough to meet the creators, but most were just brilliant on their own.

Below are a few series, a stand-alone, and one comic that I've come to love since I started blogging. They are all ones I've recommended to friends and other readers. All of them are authors I jump to read what they create next, and all our series I'd read again and again.


Anyone else a fan of graphic novels, any good recommendations? I'm always looking for another series to fall in love with!

HAPPY READING!!