Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Want-To-Read Wednesday: Picture Books

 
Want-To-Read Wednesday is a feature on my blog, where every week I share five upcoming books I want to read based on the topic of the week. For more information about it, go here.

Hi, everyone! The topic this week is Picture Books. All of these sound really good, and they look so fun, too! I can't wait to read them! :)






Are you looking forward to any of these books? What Picture Books are on your TBR list? :)

Monday, September 28, 2020

Review: The Stitchers (Fright Watch #1)

Review: The Stitchers (Fright Watch #1) by Lorien Lawrence

The start of a spine-chilling new horror series about the eerie happenings in a small town

 Something strange is happening on Goodie Lane . . .

 Thirteen-year-old Quinn Parker knows that there’s something off about her neighbors. She calls them “the Oldies” because they’ve lived on Goodie Lane for as long as anyone can remember, but they never seem to age. Are they vampires? Or aliens? Or getting secret experimental surgeries? Or is Quinn’s imagination just running wild again?

If her dad were still around, he’d believe her. When he was alive, they’d come up with all sorts of theories about the Oldies. Now, Quinn’s determined to keep the investigation going with the help of Mike, her neighbor and maybe-crush. They’ll have to search for clues and follow the mystery wherever it leads—even if it’s to the eerie pond at the end of the street that’s said to have its own sinister secrets. But the Oldies are on to them. And the closer Quinn and Mike get to uncovering the answers, the more they realize just how terrifying the truth may be.

-summary and cover via Goodreads

Plot: This was fantastically spooky! I'm a bit (more than a bit) of a scaredy cat, but I like to read a spooky MG book occasionally, and this book was perfect for that! Super creepy in parts, but never so much that I had to stop reading (that's a compliment!), and it was really good! I don't want to say much about the plot, since the main part of this book is Quinn and Mike trying to find out what's the deal with the Oldies. I will say that I loved how the author tied it all together, while still leaving things open/keeping you interested for the next book in the series!

Characters: I liked all of them! Quinn was a good main character, and I liked her family and friends. The Oldies were super creepy, which was exactly how they were supposed to be!

The Cover: I like it!

Overall: This was a really good spooky MG book! I'm definitely interested in reading the next book in the series, especially with that ending! Highly recommend if you're looking for a good book to read for Halloween!

I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher.

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Review: The Body in the Garden

 Review: The Body in the Garden (Lily Adler Mystery #1) by Katharine Schellman


Perfect for fans of Tasha Alexander and Rhys Bowen, Katharine Schellman's debut novel is sure to delight.

London 1815. Though newly-widowed Lily Adler is returning to a society that frowns on independent women, she is determined to create a meaningful life for herself even without a husband. She's no stranger to the glittering world of London's upper crust. At a ball thrown by her oldest friend, Lady Walter, she expects the scandal, gossip, and secrets. What she doesn't expect is the dead body in Lady Walter's garden.

Lily overheard the man just minutes before he was shot: young, desperate, and attempting blackmail. But she's willing to leave the matter to the local constables--until Lord Walter bribes the investigating magistrate to drop the case. Stunned and confused, Lily realizes she's the only one with the key to catching the killer.

Aided by a roguish navy captain and a mysterious heiress from the West Indies, Lily sets out to discover whether her friend's husband is mixed up in blackmail and murder. The unlikely team tries to conceal their investigation behind the whirl of London's social season, but the dead man knew secrets about people with power. Secrets that they would kill to keep hidden. Now, Lily will have to uncover the truth, before she becomes the murderer's next target.

-summary and cover via Goodreads

Plot: I don't like to talk about the plot too much with mysteries, because I'm always worried I'll spoil the mystery for someone. But I will say I quite liked the plot, and the mystery was really well done! I guessed part of what happened, but not all of it, which is always nice. And I liked the side plots that were all happening, too!

Characters: Lily was a great main character! I liked all the supporting characters, too!

The Cover: I like it!

Overall: This was a really good start to a new mystery series! And I look forward to reading another book about Lily!

I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Want-To-Read Wednesday: YA Books

 

Want-To-Read Wednesday is a feature on my blog, where every week I share five upcoming books I want to read based on the topic of the week. For more information about it, go here.

Hi, everyone! The topic this week is YA Books. I have a lot of YA books on my TBR list, so it was hard to narrow down to five, but I'm really looking forward to reading all the books I've listed!



Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado


Are you looking forward to any of these books? What YA books are on your TBR list? :)

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Top Ten Books On My Fall 2020 TBR

 Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl blog

Hi, everyone! The topic for TTT this week is Fall TBR list. I think of Fall from September through November, so that's when these books release! I will of course be reading books that have released outside of that time frame during those months, but for the sake of keeping the list to ten, I'm only going to include books releasing this Fall.

Here we go!

Not listed in any particular order.

Top Ten Books On My Fall 2020 TBR

Well Played by Jen DeLuca

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

One for the Books (Library Lover's Mystery #11) by Jenn McKinlay 

Shine by Jessica Jung

One Way or Another by Kara McDowell

Unlocked (Keeper of the Lost Cities #8.5) by Shannon Messenger

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade

The Code for Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor

The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer 

What books are you looking forward to reading this Fall? :)

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Want-To-Read Wednesday: Adult Books

 

Want-To-Read Wednesday is a feature on my blog, where every week I share five upcoming books I want to read based on the topic of the week. For more information about it, go here.

Hi, everyone! The topic this week is Adult Books. All of these books sound fantastic, and I can't wait to read them!

Make Up Break Up by Lily Menon








Are you looking forward to any of these books? What Adult books are on your TBR list? :)

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Top Ten 2021 Illustrated Covers

 Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl blog

Hi, everyone! The TTT topic this week was a cover freebie, so I decided to go with my top ten favorite illustrated covers that have been revealed for 2021. I love illustrated covers, so I am so happy this cover trend is sticking around! I browsed through my Goodreads shelves to remind myself of the covers I've loved that have (so far) been released for next year.

Here we go!

Listed in no particular order.

Top Ten 2021 Illustrated Covers



The Flipside of Perfect by Liz Reinhardt

Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle

Sixteen Scandals by Sophie Jordan

Hot British Boyfriend by Kristy Boyce 

A Pho Love Story by Loan Le

Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant

A Lady's Formula for Love (The Secret Scientists of London #1) by Elizabeth Everett

Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira

Do you like illustrated covers? What books are on your TTT this week? :)

Monday, September 14, 2020

Review: Kind of a Big Deal

 Review: Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale


From Shannon Hale, bestselling author of Austenland, comes Kind of a Big Deal: a hilarious, madcap story that will suck you in―literally.

There's nothing worse than peaking in high school. Nobody knows that better than Josie Pie.

She was kind of a big deal―she dropped out of high school to be a star! But the bigger you are, the harder you fall. And Josie fell. Hard. Ouch. Broadway dream: dead.

Meanwhile, her life keeps imploding. Best friend: distant. Boyfriend: busy. Mom: not playing with a full deck? Desperate to escape, Josie gets into reading.

Literally. She reads a book and suddenly she's inside it. And with each book, she’s a different character: a post-apocalyptic heroine, the lead in a YA rom-com, a 17th century wench in a corset.

It’s alarming. But also . . . kind of amazing?

It’s the perfect way to live out her fantasies. Book after book, Josie the failed star finds a new way to shine. But the longer she stays in a story, the harder it becomes to escape.

Will Josie find a story so good that she just stays forever?

-summary and cover via Goodreads

Mini Review: I really enjoyed reading this! I went into this book thinking what it would be, but it surprised me on multiple occasions. They were good surprises! And this book had a twist towards the end, that I did not see coming, which I loved! (Honestly, most of the time I see twists coming in books, which I don't mind, because it doesn't keep me from enjoying it. But it is always nice when a book manages to surprise me with a twist!) I don't want to say much more, because I don't want to spoil it for anyone! But I definitely recommend reading this YA book!

I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher.

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Want-To-Read Wednesday: Hiatus Week

 

Want-To-Read Wednesday is taking a brief hiatus today! It will return next week with it's regularly scheduled post.

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Want-To-Read Wednesday: Historical Fiction

 

Want-To-Read Wednesday is a feature on my blog, where every week I share five upcoming books I want to read based on the topic of the week. For more information about it, go here.

Hi, everyone! The topic this week is Historical Fiction. I don't have many Historical fiction books on my TBR list, but I'm really looking forward to reading all five of these!

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

A Lady's Formula for Love (The Secret Scientists of London #1) by Elizabeth Everett



Eventide by Sarah Goodman

Sixteen Scandals by Sophie Jordan

Are you looking forward to reading any of these books? What Historical Fiction is on your TBR list?