October TBR including Magical Readathon Extra Credit

I was so pleased when G from Book Roast announced the week long Magical Readathon extra credit. There are 5 challenges that I'm going to attempt though I feel 4 is more realistic. The readathon takes place between October 8th-14th.

1. Alohamora: read a book that's first in a series- 

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron

2. Accio: a book that is the top of your TBR- 

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

3. Rictusempra: a book that "tickles you in the right way" (exciting trope/theme/genre) - 

I took this literally and found a funny book. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

4. Lumos: a book with a white/light cover- 

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (this is nearly 800 pages so not ideal for a readathon but I want to read it)

5. Incendio: a book that has "fire" or "flame" in the title/series name or has flames on the cover- I probably won't get to this challenge but if I do, my choice is Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

For the rest of October I have chosen these books for my TBR:

1. Anything Goes by John Barrowman

2. Nobody's Girl by Barbara Amaya

3. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

4. Tangerine by Christine Mangan

5. The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar

5 Star Predictions

I realize that while I read a lot, I don't read many 5 star books. I recently read a 5 star book; The Book of M by Peng Shepherd. I realized I want that reading experience more often so I decided to look at my goodreads list and pick out five books I think will be 5 stars.

I plan to read these books in the next 3 months and then update you on how they turned out.

1. Anything Goes by John Barrowman
I love the character Captain Jack on Doctor Who and Torchwood and feel his autobiography might be just the ticket!

2. The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
I've heard this book is incredibly sad but written beautifully. I also know a sequel came out recently so if I enjoy it, I will have that to look forward to.

3. Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
This is the sequel to Nevermoor which I loved and nearly gave 5 stars. I'm hoping to love this one just as much or more.

4. The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips
This is highly rated on Goodreads and it looks to be a very compelling family drama.

5. Sabriel by Garth Nix
Another highly rated book on Goodreads with a fun magical story. This is the first in a series so if I like it, there are more to read.

Weekly Wrap Up 4

This week I took a little break from reading and binged season 6 of Wentworth on Netflix. However, I did manage to finish 1 book that I listened to on audiobook.

I read Charlie Bone and the Hidden King by Jenny Nimmo. This is the 5th in the series and honestly it was my least favorite. You do find out a "dramatic reveal" but I had already guessed it a long time ago. I'm curious if it was really obvious to kids who read it as I know I'm not the target demographic. I think something that bothered me about this one is warnings came too late to do anything and characters also failed to act on warnings. It made the events feel a bit forced. Additionally, Charlie is mean to his best friend Benjamin who he hasn't seen in several months. I felt this was out of character. I gave the book 2 stars. I will probably continue with the series as they are easy enough reads and Hoopla has the last three books.

Approval from Netgalley

I've just been approved by Netgalley to read two new books!

The first is a book called Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Lost Innocence, Modern Day Slavery & Transformation by Barbara Amaya. A piece of nonfiction about a teen girl sold into sex trafficking. It has already been published so you can get your hands on it if you're interested.




The second is a novel called The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker. It a science fiction novel about a mysterious sleeping sickness. It's expected to publish in January 2019.




Expect my reviews for these books in the coming months!

Weekly Wrap Up 3

I am on a roll this week. I've read 5 things. I feel like maybe I'm getting out of the dreaded reading slump!

The first thing I picked up was third installment of Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa. I've never really been into manga or anime but I started watching the anime alongside reading the manga and I'm really enjoying it. I like that we got a lot more backstory in this one. I gave the volume 3 stars.

Then I checked out The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang on audiobook. It is definitely steamy in parts. The premise is a woman with autism is bad at dating and sex so she hires an escort to teach her. (A reverse-gender Pretty Woman) While I liked parts of it, the miscommunication, repetitive reasons why they couldn't actually be together, and other parts just felt forced and contrived. Despite those things, I liked the story. I gave it 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 on goodreads.

Then I picked up A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Bernard. This is a YA novel about a selective mute girl who falls for a Deaf guy. They communicate through sign language. This was a cutesy fluffy novel but it was well written. I'm always interested in learning more about Deaf culture and this gave me some insight. I gave the story 3 stars.

Next I picked up Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 4 by Hiromu Arakawa. The story is definitely developing which I'm enjoying but the fight scenes are somewhat lacking in the manga. They definitely play out better on the anime. I gave this one 3 stars.

Lastly, I listened to The Book of M by Peng Shepherd. This book is a dystopian world where people lose their shadows, and with them, their memories. Once they lose their memories, people can become violent, which makes the world a very dangerous place. I was so immersed in the story; even dreaming about the characters and spending every spare second I could reading. I loved the story, the world, the characters, everything. I can't believe this is a debut novel! I will definitely pick up anything else she writes in the future. I was left with some questions at the end but overall the experience was phenomenal. I gave the book 5 stars.

Weekly Wrap Up 2

I've had a great reading week; mostly in part to being ill and not leaving the house much.

I read 4 things this week: 2 books, a graphic novel and a manga.

First I picked up Giant Days Volume 3 by John Allison. I was very underwhelmed by this volume and felt like it just jumped from random event to random event. I felt the characters changed in unbelievable ways. Ultimately, I decided I wasn't going to continue on with this series any longer. I gave it 2 stars.

Then I picked up The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I'm sure many people have read this book but it had languished on my shelf for a long time. I wish I'd have picked it up sooner. The story was heartbreaking, beautiful, and a tragic story of friendship. It had all the makings of a five star read until the ending. While the motivation behind the choice at the end was understandable, it started to come across as torture porn. So much bad happens. I wanted a happy ending. We got a "meh" ending. I gave it 4 stars.

Next I picked up Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 2 by Hiromu Arakawa. Honestly, I wasn't really interested in reading this but my husband has watched the anime and wanted to re-watch it with me. I solidered on with reading this and found it entertaining but pointless. Until the chapter with the chimera. Oh my goodness, that chapter had amazing character development that really made you feel for them. I nearly cried. I gave the volume 2.5 stars but decided I'm definitely going to carry on with the series.

Lastly, I finished The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. This was a tome of 512 pages but I devoured it in just 3 days. I wrote a full review but I'll sum up. Interesting mystery with sci-fi twist. So many twists and turns but I didn't care for the ending so I gave it 4 stars.


I really hope I can keep up this reading streak!

Review for The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Review for The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

This book was nothing like I’ve ever read before. It had the feel of a classic mystery with a fun and interesting sci-fi twist. The premise is that Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11 pm each night and Aiden Bishop has to figure out the identity of the murderer. He has 8 days to do so but will wake up in a different host each morning. Each host has their own personality, with assets and limitations.

The beginning was initially confusing; which makes sense because Aiden wakes up with total memory loss and the reader learns alongside him what is going on. The characters we meet all have secrets, which makes them all suspects.

The intrigue of this book made it so hard to put down. The author kept revealing so many twists and turns, I felt I was on a roller coaster. I already want to re-read this book, just to fully understand all the secrets and motives. I loved this story immensely and while the ending was quite shocking, I wish the very last part of the book had ended differently. Aiden’s choice at the very end was less satisfying than I had wished for, and it’s the only part I would change. Therefore, I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

This book is available in the U.S. on September 18th so if this sounds like a book you'd like, you won't have to wait much longer.




(I received a copy from Netgalley for my personal and unbiased review.)

Week 1 Wrap Up

Well, I've read two things this week and neither were on my TBR. That's how it goes sometimes.

I picked up the graphic novel Giant Days Volume 1 by John Allison and Lissa Treiman. Its a cute contemporary story about three friends in their first year at University in England. One of the girls is questioning her sexuality and has the support of her two other friends. It's kind of a slice-of-life comic and I enjoyed it. I gave it 3 stars.

Then I picked up the second volume to continue on with the story. We get to know some secondary characters; a boyfriend and a guy who is into one of the main girls. I still enjoyed it though I feel a bit like it is directionless. However, I'm enjoying the characters so I will continue on. I gave it 3 stars.

I think to break my slump I'm going to focus more on audiobooks, graphic novels, and manga. My husband keeps pestering me to read Fullmetal Alchemist (since I read the first volume) so I'll probably continue on with that soon.