Vacation Reads

 

I'll be in Arizona next week - and that got me thinking: what books make great vacation reads?  I obviously cannot bring all my books with me even though I'm having a hell of a time deciding what to bring with.  But here are some books I'd definitely recommend for anyone going on a vacay!

For the teens:

• Tweet Cute - Emma Lord 
• When Dimple Met Rishi - Sandhya Menon 
• There's Something about Sweetie - Sandhya Menon 
• Ten Things I Hate About Pinky - Sandhya Menon 
• Of Curses and Kisses - Sandhya Menon 
• Of Princes and Promises - Sandhya Menon 
• I Believe in a Thing Called Love - Maureen Goo 
• Somewhere Only we Know - Maurene Goo 
• The Way You Make Me Feel - Maurene Goo 
• You Should See Me in a Crown - Leah Johnson 
• The Upside of Unrequited - Becky Albertalli 
• 
  

For the adults:

• Make Up Break Up - Lily Menon 
• One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston 
• Red, White, and Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston 
• The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood 
• The Heart Principle - Helen Hoang 
• The Bride Test - Helen Hoang 
• The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang 

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Okay reader friends - what are some books you'd solidly rec for some good vacation reading!  Drop some recs in the comments. 

If You Like This, Try That.....

 

Hey reader friends! You're probably here because you like books - obviously!  So, here's a little hook up for you: My very own round of If You Like This, Try That! 

If you liked Harry Potter, but are looking to get away from that universe for, you know, reasons, try reading:

-The entire Septimus Heap Series 
-The Charlie Bone Series 

If you like Twilight, try:

-The Last American Vampire 
-Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter 
-The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires 
-Undead and UnWed 

If you like A Series of Unfortunate Events, try:

- The Mysterious Benedict Society series 

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Okay reader friends - what books would you recommend based on what you've read recently (or not so recently).  I'm looking forward to your recs!

Legendary - Stephanie Garber

Title: Legendary 
Author: Stephanie Garber 
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 4.5 Stars 

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Legendary, the second in the Caraval series, is just as rousing a book as its predecessor.  There is even more intrigue in this book, and the solving of a very important mystery: WE LEARN WHO LEGEND IS!!!

Have no fear, I won't tell you who Legend is.  I will say this though: It totally fits this person.

I, once again, loved the characters in this book.  Just when you thought the author couldn't ramp them up, she did!  It was a short timeline in the book again since it takes place over a second Caraval held in the mainland and surrounding Elentine's castle.  (Forgive me if I spell Elentine wrong, I listened to this on audio.)  As such there isn't tons of character growth, but the development of the characters is very well done.  They are all well written in this book, and each character fits into the story solidly.

I loved the mystery surrounding the characters in this book.  There was an added element to Dante and to the quest to find not only Legend, but Tella and Scarlet's mother.  The fates being loose in this book added another layer of intrigue and mystery to the characters and to the story as a whole.  It was interesting to see how each character interacted and behaved in regards to the fates.

The story was well developed, the events of the book flowed well together, and the foreshadowing was, as in Caraval, absolutely perfect.  As in most fantasy books, there were a lot of wild and fantastical events and they all fit so well with the characters and story as a whole.  And what would the events of Caraval be without the fantastical element, after all?  

Things I Absolutely Adored:

* The magical elements, of course 

* Finding out who Legend is 

* Watching Tella and Scarlet learn more about love and what they really wanted

* The entertainment of Caraval being held somewhere other than Legend's private island. 

* The absolute amount of deception in this whole book.  Here me out: This is some next level awesomeness right here.

* The way this book takes places from Tella's perspective. It gives us more of a chance to know her, and it sets up the final book very well.

* Watching the relationships that Tell and Scarlet had with Julian and Dante grow, and watching each girl learn more about love and what that means for each of them. 

This was truly a marvelous book to read, and I'm glad I finally prioritized it!  

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So, reader friends: Have you read this book?  If so, drop me a comment and let me know what you thought of it!  I'd love to hear from you

 

October Wrap Up

 

Hey reader friends - I hope October was a wonderful month for all of you!  I read some fun books this month, and I'm here to share them with all of you! 

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Paper Books: 

- The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 
- Kill The Farm Boy by Delilah S Dawson and Kevin Hearne 
- Night of the Living Dummy
- Escape from Horrorland 
- Dr. Maniac Versus Bobby Schwartz 
- Help! We have Strange Powers 

E-Books: 

- City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab 

- Nightbooks by J.A. White 
- The Echo Wife 

Audiobooks: 

- Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor 

- Caraval by Stephanie Garber 

- Legendary by Stephanie Garber 

- Finale by Stephanie Garber 

- Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto

 

- The Water Dancer by Te-Nehisi Coates

- Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan 
- The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik 
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Now it's your turn reader friends.  What did you read in October?  Let me know in the comments!  

Caraval - Stephanie Garber

Title: Caraval
Author: Stephanie Garber 
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 4.5 Stars 

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I finally read and finished the Caraval book (and the rest of the series - reviews coming!) I am so glad I finally read the book, because it was AMAZING.  

The Characters

Scarlett and Donatella Dragna, the sisters who lead the series, are two characters that you can't help but love, even when they're being insufferable to each other.  They obviously had the sisterly moments where they were driving each other nuts, but it was also very obvious that they really loved each other.

Dante is a unique character, to say the least.  He is a dark, sort of brooding guy who is actively involved in Caraval.  

Julian is a sly, cunning character, and I really enjoyed the way that he and Tella ended up being....in on a plan from the beginning.  

Their father.  Let me say that again: THEIR FATHER!  That scheming, plotting, asshole.  With a father like him who needs enemies. 

And Scarlett's fiance.  Oooh boy.  She went and "fell in love" with some dude who she only communicated with via letters.  Seems legit. 

To sum up the MC's and major characters: they were all well written and well developed.  They each had a LOT OF PERSONALITY!  And each character added so much to an already amazing story.  The other more minor characters that filled the pages fleshed out this book and the story so well.  They added darkness and humor and some great fun to the game and to the book. 

The Story Itself

There was a lot of mystery and intrigue weaved throughout this entire book, and a lot of great foreshadowing for the future books in the trilogy.  The whole story was so well developed that I didn't want to leave this world and all it's magic.  

Things I absolutely Loved

-The entire island that Caraval takes place on.  

-The mystery behind who Legend actually is

-Tella being much, much sneakier than her sister realized 

-That girl on the bike. She was the historiographer of Caraval, but also did some hinting for the players, and she added an element to the story that was mysterious and fantastical.

-How the entirety of Carval took place at night.  I think that really added a great element of mystery to the game.

-Those little bits of humor that were woven into an otherwise serious book.

-This book had some great foreshadowing and really set itself up well for the rest of the series.

-The worldbuilding was fantastic and very well done 

Overall this book was fantastic and worth the read.  My only regret is that I waited so long before I got to it!

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Now reader friends - I want to hear from you!  Have you read this book.  What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments.

Perfect Halloween Reads

 

Halloween is just weeks away!  If you're looking for some spooky, scary books to get you in the mood, here's a list just for you (and any young people you might have in your life.)

The Inheritance Games - Jennifer Lynne Barnes (YA)
The Bone Witch - Rin Chupeco (YA)
The Heart Forger - Rin Chupeco (YA)
The Shadowglass - Rin Chupeco (YA)
Stalking Jack the Ripper - Kerri Maniscalo (YA)
Hunting Prince Dracula - Kerri Maniscalo (YA)
Escaping from Houdini - Kerri Maniscalo (YA)
The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman (YA) 
The Diviners - LIbba Bray (YA)
Lair of Dreams - Libba Bray (YA)
Before the Devil Breaks You - Libba Bray (YA)
The King of Crows - Libba Bray (YA)
The Monstrumologist - Rick Yancey (YA)
The Curse of the Wendigo - Rick Yancey (YA)
The Isle of Blood - Rick Yancey (YA)
The Final Descent - Rick Yancey (YA)
Dread Nation - Justine Ireland (YA)
Zombie Abbey - Lauren Baratz-Logsted (YA)

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Into the Water - Paula Hawkins (Adult)
The Last American Vampire - Seth Grahame-Greene (Adult) 
We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson (Adult)
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson (Adult)
Psycho - Robert Bloch (Adult)
Dracula - Bram Stoker (Adult) 
Horrorstor - Grady Hendrix (Adult)

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The entire Goosebumps Series - R.L. Stine (Middle Grade. The man wrote a lot of books.  They're all perfect for a good October read.  You can find a list on his website here.)
Scare Me - K.R. Alexander (Middle Grade)
Doll Bones - Holly Black 
City of Ghosts - Victoria Schwab
Tunnel of Ghosts - Victoria Schwab 
Coraline - Neil Gaiman 
Bridge of Souls - Victoria Schwab 
Nightbooks - JA White 

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Are there any books you'd add to this list reader friends?  Drop a comment below and let me know what your favorite book(s) to read during October are! 

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali - Sabina Khan

 

Title: The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali 
Author: Sabina Khan 
Format: E-book
Rating: 5 Stars 

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I read this as part of a book group I am in on Facebook, and I didn't know entirely what to expect when I started reading.  I quickly became engrossed in the book, and even with all the crappy things that happen to Rukhsana, I fell in love with the book.  It has such a good message for young people, and it is such an important book for teens to read.

I am going to have a much different perspective on this book because I am not Muslim, but I'll try my best to give this book the review it deserves.

I want to start with the one thing about this book that I didn't really find that believable.  At the end of the book Rukhsana's parents do a complete 180 and start loving and accepting her so much that they even try to find a nice Muslim lesbian for her to date.  I love that her parents finally realized that they could lose their daughter if they didn't come around, but the extent to which it happened seemed far fetched.  It would have been much more believable an ending had the transformation been slower and harder to reach.  It takes a lot of time to dismantle deeply held beliefs, and sometimes it even takes a lot of therapy.  It takes more than one event to clear everything up.  So I just think there could have been a bit more to the ending. 

Other than that, I loved this book so much. While I didn't love all the characters, I did love that they were all very well written and well developed. They were each integral to this story and what happened throughout it. 

Characters I Loved:

Rukhsana - she was stronger than people gave her credit for, and had so much empathy for people, and cared so much about others around her. 

Sohail - he fought so hard for the right thing, and even though things ended so tragically for him he continued fighting for what was right until the very end. 

Shaila - Rukhsana's cousin was so so amazing, loving, and accepting.  Se welcomed Rukhsana just as she was after she came out and was so willing to be there and stand up for what was right. 

Aamir - He was the best brother Rukhsana could have asked for. He would give her a hard time like brothers do, but underneath it all he was there for his sister and always did what was right to help and protect her. 

Characters I didn't really like:

Rukhsana's friends - they were so tone deaf and didn't even make any effort to understand Islam and why Rukhsana's parents held their wrong beliefs.  They habitually told Rukhsana that it really couldn't possibly be that bad and brushed what she told them under the rug.

The rest of the book:

I thought this book was well written right up to the end.  While the events were hard to read about and may seem extreme to some people, I had to remind myself that many people, including white western people, grow up with parents who have extreme belief systems.  Rukhsana goes through a lot when her parents bring her to Bangladesh and try to force her into an arranged marriage, but she and they come out of it stronger and more willing to examine toxic beliefs. 

The events that happened in this book were extreme and toxic, but I believe they were necessary for the plot of the book.  It is so heartbreaking that there are parts of the world where people are forced into arranged marriages or killed because of who they are.  It is hard to know that there are places (yes even the United States) where religious extremism literally causes people to die.  Reading this book will open your eyes to the way some people feel and believe in other countries, and I am glad that I read it even though it broke my heart in many ways.

I think the plot in this book was well developed and well planned out. It moved well together, and every thing that happened moved right into the next thing flawlessly.  With the exception of that ending, I think everything in the book worked together well. 

Most of the characters were really well developed and well written.  Also, even though Rukhsana's friends were the way they were, I think that was what opened their eyes to the fact that they actually need to listen to people and be respectful of the fact that not everybody's life is just like theirs. And, while there are many teenagers who are very mature, most teenagers are still at an age where they are learning not to be so self-involved.  They are learning to be more aware of the world around them, and that's just part of the growth process for teens.  I think everything that happened in this book is definitely going to help her friends grow and change and develop a greater awareness of the world around them. 

Like I mentioned, the ending was really the only thing that fell flat for me.  Other than that, this is a stellar book and an absolute must read! 

If you've already read this book and you have thoughts leave me a comment below.  I'd love to hear what you think.