I'm typically not a Sci Fi fan but this one was fantastic. The story itself was engaging, the writing was good, and I loved the characters, development, and relationships. MBot cracked me up. Spensa/Spin is also a fantastic protagonist.

5 ⭐

Interesting story and setting with great characters and relationships. The characters felt so real. Has a sort of Footloose-esqe feel to the town the main character lives in. Would love a good adaptation of this. The ending (before the epilogue) made me tear up.

4.5 ⭐

Informative without being too dry, packed with history of traditional and self publishing, basic guidelines concerning your novel and the process, and worksheets to help you succeed.

This was published in 2010 so some of the more technological sections were outdated but other than that I believe the rest will be helpful.

3.5 ⭐

Might change my rating later on as I go through the actual process and see how helpful this has been for that.

So happy to get my preorder of Shout! Cannot wait to read this!

Slow in the beginning but an interesting perspective. Can't even imagine having to find out that your dad is a sadistic serial killer.

A good reminder that loved ones of a killer who had no idea can also be victims & have a difficult time adjusting. She talks a lot about her faith, which was fine for the most part.

Not mind blowing but interesting. There isn't much detail about the murders or victims but that's understandable.

3⭐

The five books I read for Read O Rama! My record for any Readathon book-wise! 784 pages total.

Met 5 challenges, which isn't bad!

My fifth book for Read O Rama.

An interesting sequel to the first book, though not nearly as good. I remember having read all but one of these growing up but I remembered nothing about this one. It was fun and explored some darker subjects, like multiple deaths and the realities of war.

Liked it, but definitely not on the same level as the first book.

3⭐ 188 pages

My fourth book for Read O Rama.

Enjoyed the story and main character. There is a really awesome cat character in this. A good beginning to a promising Fantasy series with a strong female lead and good/bad magic premise.

262 pages

3.5⭐

Finished my third book for Read O Rama.

It was OK. 134 pages total. Wanted to read something to learn more about my Irish heritage. Only enjoyed 4 stories and had to skim/skip the two longer ones. Interesting read but not one I enjoyed as much as I'd hoped. 2.5⭐

Second book for Read O Rama complete. 128 pages. Loved this collection even more than her first one. I'd seen a few of the comics online but a lot were new to me.

I find her comics so relatable, esp this collection.

More of her personal life is revealed as well. I find her art style to be adorable and gets the point across well.

5⭐

Finished my first book for Read O Rama. 72 pages, 4⭐. Adorable fantasy-based graphic novel aimed at juveniles. Stunning artwork and interesting concept. Just wished there had been more!

My Read O Rama TBR:

March 9 - March 15

Shortest: The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill

Meant to get to in 2018: Cursed With Power by Lindsey Richardson

Host Pick (Alex): Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens

RAMA in title: big Mushy hAppy lump by sArah andeRsen

7th book: The Gold-son by Carrie Ann Noble

Blind Pick: The Return of the Indian by Lynne Reid Banks

Most Anticipated: Irish Fairy and Folk Tales by various authors.

This book broke me several times. It was a wonderful conclusion to the trilogy. Engaging me during a battle scene and making me want to re-read the entire trilogy already is pretty special.

I'm not a big Fantasy reader but I am blown away.

I'm going through withdrawal. Please send Solovey. 5⭐

My ambitious TBR for March.

The Books I read in February. 8.5 because I DNFed In Cold Blood halfway.

The Girl in the Tower & Dumplin' were my favorites.

Indian in the Cupboard was my childhood read.

Love Is My Favorite Thing was my new kids read.

Soppy was my graphic novel for the month.

In Cold Blood was our book club pick.

Overall enjoyed everything else!

As always, the author's writing is lovely. Isabel was an easy character to connect to and feel for.

The story itself was interesting and well paced. For the most part, the characters are also well rounded. I was not expecting this to end on a cliffhanger! The only things I didn't like is the quotes at the beginning of chapters. While I assume they were there to give more fact & history to the book, they at times felt a little jarring to read.

"I opened my mouth to roar, but not a sound escaped. I could not even mewl like a kitten."

My childhood read. Very nostalgic! I'd forgotten a good bit of what happened in the book concerning school. Still a fun light fantasy type of read with interesting characters. Little Bear (Little Bull in the UK) was my favorite of them all and made me laugh.

This book used to inspire me to put my "plastic" toys into a jewelry box in hopes they would come alive.

I mainly listened to the audio, which is narrated by the author.

5⭐ Still love it.

This is considered one of the first of the true crime genre as we know it.

I DNFed at 172 pages (50%). I would have given it sooner had this not been a book club pick. Wanted to at least have something to discuss.

However, I just found the writing to be too dry, too bland, too saturated with unnecessary details that detracted from an interesting yet sad murder case involving a family of four in the country.

Will study the case on my own, though

Even better than the first. These books are a slower read for me but I enjoyed every minute of it. Vasya's journey gets even more interesting and dangerous. Highly recommend the audiobook. The writing and narration are beautiful. I read the physical, audio, and ebook so I could be immersed at all times. Solovey is my favorite.

5 ⭐

The books I read for Contemporary-A-Thon. Four books. Seven challenges met. 949 pages read.

My 4th read for Contemporary-A-Thon. 438 pages. 4⭐ Fun, soap opera of a book!

My first true 5⭐ for 2019. Loved the main character, Willowdean, thought the story was fun, even liked the love triangle (rare for me!). Loved the overall feel and character growth. Cannot wait to see the movie!
My 3rd book for Contemporary-A-Thon.

Second book for ContemporaryAThon! 32 pages. 4⭐. Cute read dog owners will appreciate with adorable illistrations. I liked her other book better but this one was still really enjoyable!

Finished my first book for Contemporary-A-Thon.

Meets at least 3/7 challenges. 108 pages. Mostly illistrations but a cute story about a couple and the "little things" that come when you move in together. I could definitely relate to a lot of this. The illistrations were adorable. My only gripe is I wish it had been a little longer and had a bit more text throughout, even though words weren't always necessary to understand a scene. 4⭐

My Contemporary-A-Thon TBR!

Feb 11-17

Challenges:

1. Read your most recently aquired book

2. Read a book with Plurple (Blue or Purple) on the cover

3. Read a diverse book

4. Read a Dark or Taboo Book

5 A book you meant to read in 2018

6. Read a non traditional format

7. Read a book with a picture on the spine

Happy to say that I ended up really enjoying this, though it was a bit overhyped. It took me until the last 3rd to care about the main character's fate but I did like the overall story, other characters, and the intensity of the situation.

The atmosphere was creepy and the last 3rd was difficult to put down. However, the ending was disappointing and I still had questions about the creatures. Short chapters were good paced.

4⭐

Books in January

9 Books

Favorites: The Bear and the Nightingale, The Stranger Beside Me, Wonder, and The BFG.

Least Liked: Murder on the Orient Express

True Crime/Peter's Book Club: The Stranger Beside Me
Nonfiction: We Should All Be Feminists
Crafty: Creative Lettering and Beyond
Childhood: Winnie-the-Pooh
New Kids: The BFG
Graphic Novel: The Life Changing Manga of Tidying Up

How I wish I had read this book when I was younger! As a person who has had speech issues since childhood, the parts involving the giant defending his speech really moved me.

The story itself is charming, as are the characters of Sophie and the BFG. Especially liked the breakfast and fizzy drink scenes.

An absolutely charming story that I'm sure I will continue to think upon in my life and possiblpy re-visit again. 4.5⭐

An enchanting read with beautiful writing, an intriguing story and setting, and characters I absolutely adored. I highly recommend reading this with the audio book as well since there are Russian terms. It is a bit slow paced but was never boring to me--just a slower sort of build up that makes up for it in the end. Inspired by Russian folklore, which I will definitely be checking out now.

FYI Glossary in back

4.5⭐

So far my #1 favorite for Jan

Honestly disappointed. It was OK, though had a pretty good twist ending. Was hoping I would love it but it was just fine. Still interested in the movies. 2.5 ⭐

Nice introductory primer on lettering, though I would have personally liked to see more techniques and fonts than the projects. Some of the projects, like the watercolor tags, were neat, but I would have liked to see more instruction. I liked that this showed different ways to decorate fonts and the examples used. This was a library book so I couldn't use the practice pages, but they were a nice touch.

3.5 stars

My childhood read. Cute story that made me laugh at times. Inspired a wonderful cartoon, which I love even more. 4⭐

Wonderful book that promotes kindness above else. Made me cry several times. 4.5⭐ Recommend especially for young readers.

Short but powerful argument for why everyone should be for feminism and how it benefits men and women. Should be required reading in schools. Author has lovely narration in the audio as well. Could relate to many scenarios she presented that women face today. 5⭐

Wish my grandfather was still alive so we could discuss this. Very compelling, horrifying, but well written. So many innocent women's lives taken and destroyed. Glad he is no longer among us. 4.5 ⭐

First read for 2019. Relatively short. If you liked The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, you'll like this. If you love manga, this may be a good way to check out the KonMari method if you haven't yet. Seeing the folding methods illustrated was helpful. 3.5⭐

Some of the books I want to get to this winter. Already started The Stranger Beside Me.