WWW Wednesday: June 8, 2022

Hello beautiful people! How are you doing this fine Wednesday? Me, I am doing great! I get to go to work and be surrounded by books! I know, I can’t bring them all home with me, and that’s okay. But it’s awesome to see so many people be so enthusiastic about books! Especially since summer reading has started.

It’s WWW Wednesday! It’s the day when we answer the three W’s: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? It’s hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words but was previously hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm.

What are you currently reading?

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

I only just started it last night and I am only a few pages into the story and it’s due back today. I found the audiobook on Scribd though, so I’m going to switch to that. I loved the start of the story so I am excited to continue. Also, the ship’s operating system sounds like our protagonist’s mom. Yeah, that’s disturbing.

What did you recently finish reading?

Delusion In Death by J.D. Robb

The 35th book in the In Death series. This one is about a killer who decides that mass murder through hallucinations is the way to go. It’s very gruesome so you’ll want to check trigger warnings.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Calculated In Death by J.D. Robb

I’m going to try to make an In Death book for every other book that I read this month. Should be an interesting experiment.

What is your current read?

May Reading Wrap-Up

Well hello, beautiful people! I hope you had a good weekend! Mine was very, very busy, and yet I feel like I accomplished nothing at home. It was one of those weekends. But we are starting the week off right with a Reading Wrap-Up! In May I read 17 books for a total of 6,010 pages. I will not be repeating that this month, I can tell you that!

Books 22 thru 34 of the In Death Series by J.D. Robb

I read 14 In Death books last month, which is nuts. But that put me up to book 34 in the series! Only 22 (some haven’t been released yet!) to go! Naturally, I loved them all, some more than others. New York to Dallas was an exceptional entry in the series. As always, check trigger warnings. 4-5 stars to all of them!

Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen

This adorable middle-grade graphic novel is about Garlic, who is tasked by the other vegetables in the Witch’s garden to go and slay the vampire that is moved into the castle. It was such a cute read and I really enjoyed seeing how it played out! I dislike Carrot, obvs. 4 stars.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Okay, full disclosure. I gave this book two stars, which sucks because it’s fantastic. But why give it two stars if it’s so good? Well, the main character does something that reminded me of someone I knew, and I just couldn’t get that image out of my head, so I had to stop reading it. The writing was fantastic and the plot was great, I just couldn’t get past that one thing. So yeah, two stars.

Electric Idol by Katee Robert

I really enjoyed the second entry into the Dark Olympus series. This one is all about Psyche and Eros and I loved their character dynamics and Eros’ mom! Woosh. Not a person you’d like to meet in a dark alley. 4 stars.

Stats

I like that mystery and crime are two separate genres. That’s hilarious. At least in context to the In Death books. You’d want to keep your true crime novels separate from your basic mystery novels, naturally.

But that is my reading wrap-up for May! What did your May reading wrap-up look like?

First Lines Friday: June 3, 2022

Well hello! It’s Friday! I’m actually looking forward to tomorrow as it’s the start of the library’s Summer Reading Program! I’m going to be so busy, but it will be a lot of fun.

Happy First Lines Friday, by the way.

First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words, or, as her blog is going by now, Emma IRL. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author, or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

The Lines

No one had seen the woman who lived at 256 Woodland Drive since early November. Now it was late April and the house looked abandoned. A modern masterpiece, set back from the road and surrounded by gardens, it had once been the neighborhood’s biggest attraction.

Intrigued?

The Book:

The Change by Kirsten Miller

In the Long Island oceanfront community of Mattauk, three different women discover that midlife changes bring a whole new type of empowerment…

After Nessa James’s husband dies and her twin daughters leave for college, she’s left all alone in a trim white house not far from the ocean. In the quiet of her late forties, the former nurse begins to hear voices. It doesn’t take long for Nessa to realize that the voices calling out to her belong to the dead—a gift she’s inherited from her grandmother, which comes with special responsibilities.

On the cusp of 50, suave advertising director Harriett Osborne has just witnessed the implosion of her lucrative career and her marriage. She hasn’t left her house in months, and from the outside, it appears as if she and her garden have both gone to seed. But Harriett’s life is far from over—in fact, she’s undergone a stunning and very welcome metamorphosis.

Ambitious former executive Jo Levison has spent thirty long years at war with her body. The free-floating rage and hot flashes that arrive with the beginning of menopause feel like the very last straw—until she realizes she has the ability to channel them, and finally comes into her power.

Guided by voices only Nessa can hear, the trio of women discover a teenage girl whose body was abandoned beside a remote beach. The police have written the victim off as a drug-addicted sex worker, but the women refuse to buy into the official narrative. Their investigation into the girl’s murder leads to more bodies, and to the town’s most exclusive and isolated enclave, a world of stupendous wealth where the rules don’t apply. With their newfound powers, Jo, Nessa, and Harriett will take matters into their own hands…

This book sounds so good and I picked it up on release day. I couldn’t help myself. Also that cover!

So, what will you be doing this weekend? Reading The Change? Searching the shelves at your local library? Or playing board games with friends?

A Very Small June TBR

Hello beautiful people! And how are you doing this rainy Thursday? I had to take the cat to the vet this morning…always a good time.

I thought I’d go over my very short TBR for June with you today. I think going forward I’m either not going to do TBR’s or I’m going to keep them super short. I seem to be mood reading lately and I enjoy that a lot.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

This was a book club pick for the month. It helps that I also already own this one. Go me!

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

Two boys, alone in space. Sworn enemies sent on the same rescue mission.

Ambrose wakes up on the Coordinated Endeavor with no memory of a launch. There’s more that doesn’t add up: evidence indicates strangers have been on board, the ship’s operating system is voiced by his mother, and his handsome, brooding shipmate has barricaded himself away. But nothing will stop Ambrose from making his mission succeed—not when he’s rescuing his own sister.

In order to survive the ship’s secrets, Ambrose and Kodiak will need to work together and learn to trust each other . . . especially once they discover what they are truly up against. Love might be the only way to survive.

I picked this one up from the library, and I am determined to read it before it is due to go back!

And that’s it. That’s my TBR. Short, sweet, and easy! What is on your TBR?

WWW Wednesday: June 1, 2022

Well hello, beautiful people! I’m sorry for my extended absence. I was having some problems with the blog that seem to be resolved now, and once that was taken care of I decided to take the rest of the month off. On the downside, no posts. On the upside, I read 17 books last month. Go me.

But enough of that. It’s WWW Wednesday! It’s the day when we answer the three W’s: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? It’s hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words but was previously hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm.

What are you currently reading?

Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert

This is the third book in the Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert. This particular book is based around Helen of Troy. In this book, she happens to be the sister of the reigning Zeus and he offers her hand in marriage to whomever completes the tasks to become the next Ares. It’s off to a little bit of a slower start than the others, but I’m still enjoying it, so I’m going to keep reading.

What did you recently finish reading?

Electric Idol by Katee Robert

This was the second book in the Dark Olympus series. This one is the story of Eros and Psyche. In this one, Eros is Aphrodite’s hit man and is ordered by his jealous mother to kill Psyche, so naturally, he marries her instead. I really enjoyed this one and finished it, not even in one day, but in like four hours!

What do you think you’ll read next?

Delusion In Death by J.D. Robb

This would be the 35th entry in the In Death series. This one deals with mass delusions as cause of death. Woosh. Of course, I also have two books from the library checked out so I should probably try to read those first…

And that’s it! I’ll have a reading wrap up for the month coming soon so you can see what all 17 of those books are. Just a hint…In Death takes up a lot of those spaces.

What are you reading right now?

Top Five Snacks For Reading

Hello beautiful people! It’s a cloudy, dreary day here in my neck of the woods. So naturally, I have to do some grocery shopping. At least it’s not raining. It could be raining.

It’s Top 5 Tuesday! Top 5 Tuesday was created by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm, and it is now hosted at Meeghan Reads. You can find the list of topics for April thru June here!

Today’s topic is all about your favorite snacks to consume whilst you are reading!

Buc-ee’s Bagel Seasoning Cashews

This savory snack doesn’t last very long while it’s in the house as I usually eat the whole bag in one sitting. They are that good. If you have a Buc-ee’s near you, I highly recommend trying them.

Salt and Pepper Kettle Chips

These are the best. The pepper makes them slightly spicey and the crunch cannot be denied. These are purely for snacking with the e-book so you don’t get greasy fingers all over your pages.

Orange Cranberry Cookies from Costco

These sugary sweets are a recent discovery for me and I am so happy I found them. They are so, so good. The orange flavor is so sweet and they have dried cranberries in them! And you get a large amount of them because Costco! They last several days so I can snack for a while and not worry about running out.

Crunchy Cheetos

Forgive the orange fingers, but crunchy Cheetos are a guilty pleasure. I don’t actually eat these while I am actively reading. I take a small break to cover myself in Cheeto dust, clean my hands, and then restart my reading pursuits.

Oreos

Um…yeah. We always have Oreos in our house. I usually only eat two at a time and that keeps me happy. Huzzah!

Honorable mention to something that is not food…Tea. A good cup of tea. I’m always drinking tea while I read.

Do you snack while you read?

April Reading Wrap Up

Well hello, beautiful people! It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? Sorry about that. But I am here now, and that’s all that matters! Today I bring you my reading wrap up and stats for April 2022!

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

This last book in the Brown Sisters trilogy was great! I had a lot of fun seeing how Eve and Jacob interacted. I really loved their dynamic and the bit with the ducks! I laughed out loud! Four stars.

So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens

I loved this story. It’s wholesome and fantastical and made me smile. It also made me laugh out loud quite a few times. Now listen, I know it is the miscommunication trope done again, but it was so good! Five stars.

The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz

Um…I have complicated feels about this one. On one had, its really well written. On the other had, the synopsis spoiled something for me and I could get past it. I DNF’d it but I guess if I had to give it a rating I would give it two stars? Cause again, good writing.

All The Feels by Olivia Dade

This book is the follow up to Spoiler Alert, which was one of my favorite books this year, so it had some pretty big shoes to fill. And it did! It was great. I could totally relate to Alex and his struggles with ADHD and bonus, the female protagonist is named Lauren! Five stars.

Divided In Death, Survivor In Death, Visions In Death by J.D. Robb

Trigger warnings for…everything. My re-read of this series is still going, though it has slowed down a little bit. Survivor In Death is one of my favorite books in the whole series. DID got four stars, VID also got four stars, and SID got and enthusiastic five stars.

Stats!

It’s weird to see that every book I read this month could be considered a romance book, but I can see that. Oh how we grow. Also you can see the weeks where I wasn’t really finishing any books. It happens. Life goes on. We reset our Animal Crossing island and hope no one notices. Because that’s what I did. I reset my Animal Crossing island.

How was your week?

Weekly Round-Up: April 23, 2022

Hello beautiful people! It’s been a week. Not a bad week. Just an “I left the guest sheets in the washer” kind of week. Yup, I did that.

What I read this week:

Visions In Death by J.D. Robb

The 19th book in the In Death series. As to be expected, I enjoyed myself reading this. It has been pointed out that I have been remiss in mentioning that this excellent series takes place in the near future. Like the 2050s and 2060s. In all seriousness, thanks for pointing that out Janette! By the way, you should check out her blog. It’s great! By the way, check trigger warnings for this book, for all the books in this series really.

The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz

I had complicated feelings about this book. It’s about two people who meet online after one of them sends a rather scathing email to the wrong email address.

All The Feels by Olivia Dade

I loved this sequel to Spoiler Alert. This one is about Alex, an actor who gets into trouble and finds himself assigned a minder in the form of Lauren (name twins!). I listened to the first half of this as an audiobook and for the other half, I read the paperback. I recommend both forms of reading this book, I just got impatient and wanted to know how it was going to end.

Survivor In Death by J.D. Robb

This is, so far, my favorite book in the In Death series. When Nixie is the sole survivor of her family’s brutal slaughter, and only witness, Eve takes the 9 year-old into her protection. It was a blast watching Eve and Roarke be so completely out of their element.

Instagram Posts:

Blog Posts:

Tuesday was a Top Ten Tuesday. This week’s topic was all about Bookish Items I’d Love to Own. I had fun sharing with you the things on my bookish wish lists.

WWW Wednesday was a hit with, my various books I had chosen to read. I managed to finish three of them. And, you’ll be happy to know I sent the damaged book back for replacement so I can finish reading it now!

Thursday saw the publication of my review for The Impossible Us. You can see my full feelings here.

First Lines Friday was a book that got picked for book club next month. Let’s see if I actually read this one!

In Other News:

One of my fave book series has been optioned by Amazon Prime for a TV series! That’s right, the Mercy Thompson book series may be turned into a Prime show! Squee!! I’m so excited. I hope it actually gets made. There is a lot of lore in the Mercy-verse that they can use, and it would be awesome to see an indigenous person as the lead of their own show.

How was your week?

First Lines Friday: April 22, 2022

Hello beautiful people! It’s Friday! Huzzah! That means the weekend is upon us. We just have to get through whatever today brings then we are free! To do what, that is entirely up to you. Me, I’m going to hang with some cool people and maybe read a book.

And seeing as how it’s Friday, it’s First Lines Friday!

First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words, or, as her blog is going by now, Emma IRL. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author, or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

Today’s book came out five years ago, is the first in a series, and was picked by one of my book clubs as their pick for May!

The Lines:

Ragnvald danced on the oars, leaping from one to the next as the crew rowed. Some kept their oars just to make it easier on him; some tried to jostle Ragnvald off when he landed on them.

Intrigued?

The Book:

The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker

Ragnvald Eysteinsson, the son and grandson of kings, grew up believing that he would one day take his dead father’s place as chief of his family’s lands. But, sailing home from a raiding trip to Ireland, the young warrior is betrayed and left for dead by men in the pay of his greedy stepfather, Olaf. Rescued by a fisherman, Ragnvald is determined to have revenge for his stepfather’s betrayal, claim his birthright and the woman he loves, and rescue his beloved sister Svanhild. Opportunity may lie with Harald of Vestfold, the strong young Norse warrior rumored to be the prophesied king. Ragnvald pledges his sword to King Harald, a choice that will hold enormous consequences in the years to come.

While Ragnvald’s duty is to fight—and even die—for his honor, Svanhild must make an advantageous marriage, though her adventurous spirit yearns to see the world. Her stepfather, Olaf, has arranged a husband for her—a hard old man she neither loves nor desires. When the chance to escape Olaf’s cruelty comes at the hands of her brother’s arch-rival, the shrewd young woman is forced to make a heartbreaking choice: family or freedom.

The Impossible Us: A Mini Book Review

A special thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for my copy of The Impossible Us. As always, I will share my full and honest thoughts.

I’m not going to give you the synopsis as there are spoilers for the book listed. I’ll explain more down below.

So. Where shall I begin? When I first read the synopsis I was super intrigued and was very excited to get the e-arc from NetGalley. Let’s just say that the excitement was short-lived.

The book itself is about two people who meet online when one of them sends an angry email to the wrong email address. They begin to communicate and eventually form an online relationship until one day they decide to meet. But something happens and they miss each other. And I’m gonna stop there.

The synopsis contained a pretty big spoiler. And I’m not gonna lie, as I got farther into the book, having that knowledge took away from my enjoyment. So I put the book down fully intending to pick it back up again, and when I did, I was dreading reading this book.

But the thing is, it’s really well written. The characters are dynamic, the premise is superb, and for the part I read, the pacing was great! If this book hadn’t have been ruined, I would have loved it.

But, alas, spoilers. Now, I don’t know how this book ends. It may, and if the writing is anything to go by, will, end beautifully. But I don’t know because spoilers!!

Basically, what I’m trying to say is, don’t reveal a major plot point/twist in the synopsis!

Also, I can’t give this a star rating because I enjoyed what I read but I also couldn’t get through it.