Reading BINGO Update

Being halfway through the year I thought it was a good time to check in with everyone on how their Reading BINGO was going. This year another friend has joined in on the challenge! So that's four of us trying to clear our board before the end of the year. The upside is none of us have managed a BINGO yet. Though, it looks like I'm playing a game of snake on my old phone instead of trying to snag the first BINGO of the year.

Catherine's Card

Kathleen's Card

Sarah's Card

My Card

Honestly, I feel like all of us are doing really well. This hasn't been the easiest reading year for some with everything going on in the world, and my friend Catherine joined late in the game. So who really knows what the next six months will bring.

I've seen a lot of different BINGO challenges throughout the year. Anyone else doing a version of this challenge? How's your year going so far?

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!

Catherine Daly has an unusual talent. By day she works for a printer. But by night, she awakens the dead for a few precious moments with loved ones seeking a final goodbye. But this magic comes with a price: for every hour that a ghost is brought back, Catherine loses an hour from her own life.

When Catherine is given the unusual task of collecting a timepiece from an old grave, she is sure that the mysterious item must contain some kind of enchantment. So she enlists Guy Nolan, the watchmaker’s son, to help her dig it up. But instead of a timepiece, they find a surprise: the body of a teenage boy. And as they watch, he comes back to life—not as the pale imitation that Catherine can conjure, but as a living, breathing boy. A boy with no memory of his past.

This magic is more powerful than any Catherine has ever encountered, and revealing it brings dangerous enemies. Catherine and Guy must race to unravel the connection between the missing timepiece and the undead boy. For this mysterious magic could mean the difference between life and death—for all of them. 

HAPPY READING!!

Library Haul

I picked up some great quick reads for my weekend. Some nerdy reads to help me reach my goal of ten books read this month. Also hopefully some wholesome reads because I going to need that because I don't think I'm going to like how Deathless Divide ends. It's going to hurt.

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

How cute was this?! This story was adorable and I adored both Frances and Sebastian. Though, by the end of the story, the King stole the show! I was in need of something with a wholesome and happy ending, and the Prince and the Dressmaker first that bill. It's a wonderful story of friendship and finding yourself. Ugh, and the artwork was beautiful and bright. I loved it so much! 5 Stars!

This was just okay. For me, the story kind of chased its tail, and you never really got to meet any of the characters. I got thrown into a plot and meant to catch up, but I spent half the time trying time to remember which dark-haired character was. And, the artwork changed for the last chapter of the story. Even if it was for the better it still threw me for a loop. To me, it felt like this story would have been better told over several volumes instead of one graphic novel. It had potential, just fell a bit flat for me. 2 stars.

HAPPY READING!!

Book Mail

I was going to try and wait until August to read this as part of my TBR, only that it's in my hands I realize how much that is now going to happen. I'll be lucky if finish the book I'm currently reading before I start this one. I have very much done my waiting on this book, and I know I could have picked up Death Prefers Blondes, and that probably would have helped. And, I will pick that one up, but this one. The cover is amazing, and Caleb Roehrig had me at hates algebra!

My nearly seven-month wait is over! Smart me would wait until my day off to read this entire thing in one sitting, but let's be honest I'm reading past my bedtime tonight. That's what coffee is for right?

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 and 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 Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Every year the senior class at Lincoln High plays assassin. Lia Prince has been planning her strategy for years and she's psyched that not only does she finally get to play, she's on a team with Devon Diaz. But this year, the game isn't any fun--it's real. Abby Ascher, Ben Barnard, and Cassidy Clarke have all turned up . . . dead. Can Lia stop the ABC killer before he reaches D?

Why I'm Waiting: This seems like a combo of Riverdale and Agatha Christie's ABC Murders! Right up my alley.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

The only thing August Pfeiffer hates more than algebra is living in a vampire town. Located at a nexus of mystical energy fields, Fulton Heights is practically an electromagnet for supernatural drama. And when a mysterious (and annoyingly hot) vampire boy arrives with a cryptic warning, Auggie suddenly finds himself at the center of it. An ancient and terrible power is returning to the earthly realm, and somehow Auggie seems to be the only one who can stop it. 

HAPPY READING!!

The Magpie Lord - Review

Author: KJ Charles

Genre:  Romance / Paranormal

Format: ebook

Pages: 222

Books like this are why I like doing the BINGO challenge with my friends every year. While we share common interests in our reading habits, we also read things completely apart. Thanks to that this little gem was brought into my life. And, while there are many genres I don't read a lot of somehow I ended up with a romance book thanks to another friend who was convinced I'd enjoy this. Clearly, she knows me better than I thought.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect when I was downloading The Magpie Lord. Reviews of it were really good, and I wasn't honestly a little interested or I wouldn't have agreed to read it. What I hadn't been expecting was what I got through. Yes, at the end of the day this is definitely a romance novel. Crane, one of the main characters, is very much what you expect from the Rogue archetype, kind of. Just like Stephen is kind of that damsel in distress when you first meet him, only he's really not.

All the characters you meet are well thought out even the more cliched ones because they work inside the plot. You can easily picture them in your head and know exactly what to expect as the story goes. Only with our three main characters, but your butt I'm counting Merrick, are always more than seem. I loved the Stephen was small but so much bigger than he seemed, that Crane was just the scoundrel he could have easily been, and the friendship between Merrick and Crane is amazing. They've been through hell together. They got to be more than their station, more than a cliche, and it was nice to see.

What really kept me reading was Charles' writing style. The plot moved quickly without time for lagging because Crane was borrowed time since page one. The banter between the characters was also brilliant, and I found myself laughing through the night as I read. I really liked the fact that we learned a bit about Crane's past as the story unfolded, and about what exactly Stephen is as well. So their backstories didn't pull away from the plot but were in fact a part of it. 

And, the story was really good! Yes, at the heart of the book it is a romance, but The Magpie Lord is more than that. It's also a mystery with a bit of a Gothic flair, and I was honestly surprised by the fact there was a good story and plot behind it. I was also really surprised that despite the hinting, there wasn't anything hot and heavy until the end of the book.

So yeah I was pleasantly surprised with this book, and I'm glad it was put in my path. I really enjoyed the story and the cast of characters. I've even already put the second book on hold through my local library.

Buy, Borrow, or Skip: While highly enjoyable books, I doubt I'll ever ready them again. So, I say borrow from your local library!

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!

They're lurking in museums, graveyards, and private homes around the world. Their stories have inspired countless horror movies, reality TV shows, campfire tales, books, and even chain emails. They're cursed objects, and in order to unleash a wave of misfortune, all they need...is you. As a culture, we can't seem to get enough of cursed objects. But never before have the true stories of these infamous real-life items been compiled into a fascinating and chilling volume.

Entries include:

• Annabelle the Doll, a Raggedy Ann doll which inspired the acclaimed horror franchise The Conjuring
• The Tomb of Tutankhamen, the discovery of which kicked-started media hysteria over a rumored "Curse of the Pharaohs"
• The Ring of Silvianus, a Roman artifact believed to have inspired J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit
• The Hope Diamond, which was owned by kings and inspired the Heart of the Ocean in James Cameron's Titanic
• The Dybbuk Box, which was sold on eBay and inspired the horror film The Possession

Whether you believe in curses or not, the often tragic and always bizarre stories behind these objects will fascinate you. Many of them have intersected with some of the most notable events and people in history. But beyond Hollywood and beyond the hysteria, author J. W. Ocker suggests that cursed objects are simply objects which have been witness to great human tragedy, and thereafter operate as mechanisms for remembering and retelling those stories. Cursed Objects will be equally appealing to true believers as well as history buffs, horror fans, and anyone who loves a good spine-tingling tale. 

HAPPY READING!!

Most Anticipated Release of 2020 pt 2

Here it is the second part of my Most Anticipated for 2020! This year has already been filled with some amazing releases, and there are so many more to come, but these are just the ones I'm the most excited about! 

MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS AUG - DEC:

What are some of the Fall and Winter releases everyone else is looking forward to?

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

This was a fun and quick read this morning! I really enjoyed the artwork, which was a little more bright than you usually see with these kinds of stories. But, still very fun and in the vein of something with Mike Mignola's name on it. There are three short stories in this Graphic Novel and the get better as they go. The last one is definitely my favorite. This was fun and I'm glad I snagged from the library. 3 Stars! 

How cute was this? All four of these stories were adorable and a lot of fun. Dustin's artwork was the perfect match for these stories and enjoyed all four of them. The whole Bat-Family made an appearance at some point. As always Alfred was my favorite character because bless is snark, he's so put upon by the Wayne Family. Super cute and wold a wonderful bedtime read. 4 Stars!

This wasn't my favorite of volumes. The artwork was good, crisp, full of detail. I felt like the story fit into the Witcher world just fine, and what little we go to of Dandelion was great. I did really enjoy the opening scene. But, everything else felt very Game of Thrones to me. I even noticed a couple lines that I generally associate with the show. Still, it was a fun and quick read. 3 Stars!

HAPPY READING!!