Reading

May 2019 Reading Wrap-Up

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Jackaroo by Cynthia Voigt
(Tales of the Kingdom, book 1)
Rating:  ★★★★★ – it was amazing
Review:  Yes
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  April 30 – May 13
Read Count:  5-ish
Favorite Thing:  My favorite thing this time around is too spoilery to mention, but trust me it’s cute shit (if quite subtle).
Least Favorite Thing:  Win is so obnoxious, he annoys me every single time.

Well, new year, new read-through of the Tales of the Kingdom books! You know I can’t resist these books for long. As they are my all-time favorites, I recommend them to everyone.

My Posts About Jackaroo

On Fortune’s Wheel by Cynthia Voigt
(Tales of the Kingdom, book 2)
Rating:  ★★★★★ – it was amazing
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  May 13 – 17
Read Count:  5-ish
Favorite Thing:  The ability of the main characters to endure any circumstance.
Least Favorite Thing:  Creepy, gross men. (Hm, my least favorite thing in real life, too.)

I can’t believe this used to be my least favorite of all the books, I am so dumb. Birle is a treasure and I love her.

My Posts About On Fortune’s Wheel

Maybe (Maybe Not) by Robert Fulghum
Rating:  ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  April 4 – May 18
Read Count:  2
Favorite Thing:  Nothing really stood out.
Least Favorite Thing:  Again, some things didn’t age well.

I swear Mr. Fulghum is the grandfather everyone could wish for. He’s so weird, but in a good way, and you could probably tell him your strange thoughts without judgement…

My Posts About Maybe (Maybe Not)

 In Progress

First Lines Fridays: May 31, 2019

LeeLeave a comment

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. 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!

First Lines:

They called the world beyond the walls of the Pod “the Death Shop.” A million ways to die out there.

Did the quote pique your interest? View this book on Goodreads!

First Lines Fridays: May 24, 2019

LeeLeave a comment

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. 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!

First Lines:

Down a path worn into the woods, past a stream and a hollowed-out log full of pill bugs and termites, was a glass coffin. It rested right on the ground, and in it slept a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives.

Did the quote pique your interest? View this book on Goodreads!

First Lines Fridays: May 17, 2019

LeeLeave a comment

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. 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!

First Lines:

So a long long long long long long long time ago
there was absolutely fuck-all in the entire universe.

Did the quote pique your interest? View this book on Goodreads!

First Lines Fridays: May 10, 2019

LeeLeave a comment

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. 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!

First Lines:

When I was a child, my parents and teachers told me about a man who was very strong. They told me he could destroy the whole world. They told me he could lift mountains. They told me he could part the sea. It was important to keep the man happy. When we obeyed what the man had commanded, the man liked us. He liked us so much that he killed anyone who didn’t like us. But when we didn’t obey what he had commanded, he didn’t like us. He hated us. Some days he hated us so much, he killed us; other days, he let other people kill us. We call these days “holidays.”

Did the quote pique your interest? View this book on Goodreads!

First Lines Fridays: May 3, 2019

LeeLeave a comment

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. 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!

First Lines:

Coraline discovered the door a little while after they moved into the house.

It was a very old house — it had an attic under the roof and a cellar under the ground and an overgrown garden with huge old trees in it.

Did the quote pique your interest? View this book on Goodreads!

April 2019 Reading Wrap-Up

LeeLeave a comment

Young Widows Club by Alexandra Coutts
Rating:  N/A
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  March 20 – April 4
Read Count:  1 (DNF)
Favorite Thing:  None.
Least Favorite Thing:  Blah.

From the summary I was expecting an interesting look at what it’s like to be widowed at a young age, and what I got was “teen widow goes back to high school”. Sigh. I couldn’t even finish this book.

My Posts About Young Widows Club

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
(The Raven Cycle, book 3)
Rating:  ★★★★★ – it was amazing
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  December 10, 2018 – April 18, 2019
Read Count:  3
Favorite Thing:  Mr. Gray & Blue’s friendship.
Least Favorite Thing:  Over too soon.

I can’t seem to stop myself from rereading The Raven Cycle books! Unfortunately I only own two of them, so it may be a minute before I can get my hands on the last book to reread it.

My Posts About Blue Lily, Lily Blue

Tea for Two by S.W. Stromberg
Rating:  ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review:  Coming Soon
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  April 16 – 25
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  Seeing myself so clearly in a character was amazing.
Least Favorite Thing:  I CAN’T SAY BECAUSE IT’S A SPOILER, BUT I CAN’T BELIEVE SHE DID THAT.

I was a little nervous reading a book written by a friend in case I didn’t like it, but luckily this one turned out to be really good! I’ve never been able to see myself so well in a character, it was awesome. I recommend this book to anyone looking for LGBT reads that aren’t just another coming out story!

My Posts About Tea for Two

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Rating:  ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  April 25 – 29
Read Count:  3
Favorite Thing:  The healing songs.
Least Favorite Thing:  Saren…

I know, I know, without Saren the story isn’t even possible. And yet…. She just annoys me, I can’t help it. I can’t even feel bad for her really, even though I know I should. But at least Dashti is precious enough to make up for it.

My Posts About Book of a Thousand Days

In Progress

First Lines Fridays: April 26, 2019

LeeLeave a comment

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. 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!

First Lines:

In March 51 BC, with the death of her father the pharaoh, the girl must have contemplated her situation as she stared through the hazy crystal glass into the face of the mummified god. It was well known that his blood ran through her veins, and although she was a mere seventeen years old he had been even younger when he led the first of his military campaigns which ultimately conquered the known world. By reviving his empire to its former greatness, she would prove herself his true heir.

Did the quote pique your interest? View this book on Goodreads!

First Lines Fridays: April 19, 2019

LeeLeave a comment

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. 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!

First Lines:

Dear Reader,

I am not a movie star. Chances are when you walked by my book and saw my face, you didn’t know what my name was, but you knew that I looked familiar.

Did the quote pique your interest? View this book on Goodreads!

First Lines Fridays: April 12, 2019

LeeLeave a comment

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. 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!

First Lines:

Have you ever been on vacation, at the seashore, perhaps, or a desert resort in New Mexico — somewhere away from city lights — and looked up, seemingly for the first time, at a sky full of stars.

Did the quote pique your interest? View this book on Goodreads!