Transitions

 

Hey reader friends.  You may have noticed 2023 was a very quiet year for me in terms of blogging.  After many, many, many years reading and writing reviews here (over 10 years), I have decided to sort of reinvent my blog.  

I will continue to talk about books and stuff, because I love sharing what I think with people.  But I'll also talk about life as well - what's happening, what I'm reading, movies stuff, basically life. 

I hope you'll like the changes, and I hope you will have fun reading what I have to say about everything!  

Greetings Friends

 Hey reader friends.  I took a hiatus from blogging over the fall.  I did a few videos on youtube, and messed around on the clock app.  And of course, I read books. 

Some of the books I have finished recently are:

* The Narrow - Kate Alice Marshall 
* I'm not Done With you Yet - Jesse Q. Sutanto
* Murder on the Christmas Express - Alexandra Benedict 

I really enjoyed all three of them.  Here is a video review I did of I'm Not Done With You Yet.

What have you all been reading lately?  Any favorite books of this year? Let me know in the comments.

Bout of Books SIgn Up

 HEY FRIENDS. It's been...a..while.  I am back though and ready to get back into the blogging groove!  So, let's start with a Bout of Books sign up post.  As expected, I will be participating in Bout of Books, which you can read about here: 

The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It’s a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 21st and runs through Sunday, August 27th in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are reading sprints, daily Discord questions, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For all Bout of Books 38 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books teama

This weeklong readathon is SO MUCH FUN. If you've followed me on the internets for a while you know I love Bout of Books, and that I am about to tell you to go sign up and join me!  You won't regret it.  

January and February Wrap Up

 

Hey friends!  I started off the year strong I read 12 books in January and February combined!  

Let's just dive right in.  Here are the books I read in January and February. 

The Heart Principle - Helen Hoang 
The Bride Test - Helen Hoang
The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang 
Crimes of Passion - Jack 
Five Survive - Holly Jackson 
Tell Me I'm Worthless - Alison Rumfitt 
How to Keep a Husband for 10 Days - Jessica Hatch 
The Spite House - Johnny Compton 
Dread Nation - Justina Ireland 
Book Lovers - Emily Henry 
Animal Farm - George Orwell 
One Night in Havana - Chanel Cleaton 
Murder by the Cup - Abigail Lynn Thornton 

There you have it friends - my January and February conquests.  What books have you read so far this year?  Have you read any of the books I read?  Tell me what's going on down in the comments! 

Bout of Books

 

Greetings friends.  I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus this month. But have no fear - I am returning in January and at the start of the new year will also be joining in for another round of BOUT OF BOOKS.  Are you really surprised?  I didn't think so.  

If you still haven't heard of bout of books, here is a lovely little about it written by co-host Kelly! 

The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It’s a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 2nd and runs through Sunday, January 8th in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are reading sprints, Twitter chats, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For all Bout of Books 36 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I'm not setting a TBR for Bout of Books.  I am just going to go in and read whatever feels good to me at the moment.  I'm just looking forward to a week of reading fun! 

I hope you all reading this will be joining in with Bout of books - it is truly a fantastic readathon.

Blackmail and Bibingka - Mia P. Manansala

 

Title: Blackmail and Bibingka 
Author: Mia P. Manansala 
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 4 stars 

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When her long lost cousin comes back to town just in time for the holidays, Lila Macapagal knows that big trouble can't be far behind in this new mystery by Mia P. Manansala, author of Arsenic and Adobo.

It's Christmastime in Shady Palms, but things are far from jolly for Lila Macapagal. Sure, her new business, The Brew-ha Cafe, is looking to turn a profit in its first year. And yes, she's taken the first step in a new romance with her good friend, Jae Park. But her cousin Ronnie is back in town after ghosting the family fifteen years ago, claiming that his recent purchase of a local winery shows that he's back on his feet and ready to give back to the Shady Palms community. Tita Rosie is thrilled with the return of her prodigal son, but Lila knows that wherever Ronnie goes, trouble follows.

She's soon proven right when Ronnie is accused of murder, and secrets and rumors surrounding her shady cousin and those involved with the winery start piling up. Now Lila has to put away years of resentment and distrust to prove her cousin's innocence. He may be a jerk, but he's still family. And there's no way her flesh and blood could actually be a murderer...right?

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Blackmail and Bibingka is the third book in Mia P Manansala's Tita Rosie's Kitchen series.  This book, like the previous two in the series, solidly lives up to the mystery aspect.  

As soon as I started listening to this book I knew I was going to be delighted.  The book itself is well written, and the characters are as well rounded and developed as in the previous two books. In fact, this book takes things one step further when Lila's cousin Ronnie returns to town.  He's Tita Rosie's son, and meeting him helps give us some insight into Tita Rosie's past and family life before her husband and son just left her and skipped town.

With each new book in this series, the author takes us deeper into the lives of the characters.  We get a chance to learn more about them, their motivations, and who they are.  I love that in this book Lila's two best friends were more prominent.  We got to know them as not just her friends but her business partners (and people who put up with her being a nosy Nelly, and who even assisted her nosiness once in a while.) I enjoyed seeing even more of Jae Park, Lila's dating buddy and definitely future boyfriend.  He had this calm presence and was really good for Lila.  They get along well, and the chemistry they shared was spot on.

I liked the mystery in this book.  We start off thinking we know exactly who did the crime, Ronnie!  But of course we learn how wrong we are.  At a certain point you are able to really connect the dots and figure out what happened to Ronny's fiance, and the build up to get to that point is fantastic.  The author weaves in so many details and surrounds Ronny with enough people that you have to wonder at first who was having a little...fun, shall we say.

With each passing chapter, just enough is revealed that you have to keep going to find out more and solve the mystery.  And when you finally get it, it's great. Maybe I'm a little slow picking up on mystery stuff, but I had to really think about things before I figured out who did what.  BUT I enjoyed every little clue and every little aha moment throughout the book.

I also loved that we got to see Lila and her friends doing more with their business.  They opened a cafe called the Brew-Ha Cafe, where they have coffee, baked goods, and the cutest crafty items.  And seeing how they all work together in the cafe and as co-business owners is fantastic.  

Overall, in my opinion, this is a must read.  And, as always, if you've already read it, let me know what you thought in the comments. 

What Makes a Worthy Book

I cross posted this on Medium.  I think this debate is important. 

 There is always this debate that crops up in the book world. What makes a book worthy and valuable.

There is the classic lit vs modern lit, romance vs all books, YA books vs adult books, and so on, and so on.

It seems that the two areas that crapped on the most are YA and romance. People don’t view them as worthy or valuable and don’t think that people should even be reading them. Let me tell you, as someone who reads both YA and adult romance, and YA fantasy, both YA and romance are worth being read by anyone who likes those types of books.

Something I want to remind you of here is this:

• YA books are NOT a genre in and of themselves. They are books that describe the general age range they were written for. YA books can be romance, sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary, and any other genre that exists.

Now, let’s move forward. When people decide to wholly state that they don’t think romance is worthy, or that YA books aren’t worthy, or that any other type of books are not worthy, most of the time they haven’t actually read books in any genre or age range that they are venting about. Yet these people feel qualified to say that X book is not worth reading.

Think about what this says about books and reading and all that entails. When you say X,Y,or Z book is not worthy, and doesn’t fit the standard, you’re are saying that readers of those books are not real readers. They aren’t living up to some arbitrary standard set by snobs, so they must not be real readers.

But when someone picks up The Fault in Our Stars, or The Ex Hex, or Act your Age, Eve Brown, they are picking up a book where they may learn about what cancer does to your body, or what it’s like to help people learn to love who you are as much as you do, or what can happen when one little spell goes awry. That last one is just for fun — but hopefully you’re getting the idea. Books can be for learning things, for growing, or, frankly, just for fun.

We don’t always need to read highbrow lit that’s going to teach us tons of things just to be taken seriously as a reader. We read because we love books, and some books are going to resonate with certain readers more than they do with others. And that’s okay. I love romance books. I love them! I also love fantasy books. And occasionally, if I’m in the right mood, I love a good cozy mystery. (This seems like the perfect time to plug Mia P. Manansala’s books! They’re fantastic.)

If you love classic lit, that’s great. If you absolutely love romance, that’s amazing. If you only read mystery’s, perhaps you can help me solve the mystery of how to fit more books on my shelves. Because at the end of the day, we are all readers, and all books are worthy. Don’t look down on a certain of book just because you wouldn’t read it.

Vespertine - Margaret Roberson

 

Title: Vespertine
Author: Margaret Rogerson 
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 4 Stars 

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The dead of Loraille do not rest.

Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past.

When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being that threatens to possess her the moment she drops her guard. Wielding its extraordinary power almost consumes her—but death has come to Loraille, and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has any chance of stopping it. With all knowledge of vespertines lost to time, Artemisia turns to the last remaining expert for help: the revenant itself.

As she unravels a sinister mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, her bond with the revenant grows. And when a hidden evil begins to surface, she discovers that facing this enemy might require her to betray everything she has been taught to believe—if the revenant doesn’t betray her first.

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I loved this book -and there's going to be a series!!!  There are not enough words to describe how much I loved this book, but I'll try (and I'll even throw in some gifs and memes just to really show you what I think.

The possession aspect: Hello! Who doesn't love a story about a good potential possession.  Watching Artemisia struggle with the revenant inside her and learn to hone who she was was AMAZING.

The characters were great. Artemisia was my favorite character, but the revenant was a close second.  I know, I know - the REVENANAT?! What am I thinking?  Well, I mean, it did try to possess Artemisia.... And it was well spoken, well written, and fairly devious. 

All the characters were great - well written and not as upstanding as you'd think considering they were nuns and a priest.  That made the story very intriguing and definitely added that extra air of fantastic and depth to the characters.  

I really enjoyed the writing and the narrator.  The author did a fantastic job weaving together a story filled with twists, surprises, and story points that really fit in well, and the narrator of the audiobook did a wonderful job bringing it all to life.  I'm really excited to see where the rest of the series goes.  There was a lot of tension, a lot of humor (surprisingly), and just overall some great writing. 

The book had more than enough twists and surprises, and Artemisia had a lot of great personality and a great ability to mess with her peers but also befriend them at the weirdest of times.  There's a reason she's my favorite character in the book. I'm trying really hard not to spoil anything, so let me just say: the sarcasm is ripe in this one. 

Overall, I personally cannot think of anything I didn't like about this book. It was great and I am hooked.  

If you've read this book, let me know what you thought in the comments!  

If you haven't read the book - what are you waiting for?!

September Wrap Up

Hey reader friends!  Welcome to OCTOBER.  I feel like, once again, this year has flown by.  Anyway, I am here to share how September went for me.

I read a lot, and most of the books I read last month I really enjoyed.  Let's see if I can remember everything I read:

1. Vespertine - 5 stars, totally FANTASTIC.  This was one of the last books I read in September, and it was a great ending to the month.  (I'll have a review up soon.)

2. A Dark and Starless Night - 5 Stars again!  I LOVED this book.  You can find my review here. 

3. Hopepunk - 3 Stars - a good book that will both break your heart and make you deliriously happy. 

4. Back in the Burbs - Avery Flynn - 3 Stars.  Totally cute and sweet romance.  

5. The Comeback - Lily Chu - 3 Stars.  This was a great romance, and the characters were delightful.

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Were there any fantastic books you read in September that you want to share?  Let me know in the comments!  And if you've read any of the books I did, let me know what you thought!

A Dark and Starless Forest - Sarah Hollowell

 

Title: A Dark and Starless Forest 
Author: Sarah Hollowell 
Format: Hardcover 
Rating: 5 stars 

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When her siblings start to go missing, a girl must confront the dark thing that lives in the forest—and the growing darkness in herself—in this debut YA contemporary fantasy for fans of Wilder Girls.

Derry and her eight siblings live in an isolated house by the lake, separated from the rest of the world by an eerie and menacing forest. Frank, the man who raised them after their families abandoned them, says it’s for their own good. After all, the world isn’t safe for people with magic. And Derry feels safe—most of the time.

Until the night her eldest sister disappears. Jane and Derry swore to each other that they’d never go into the forest, not after their last trip ended in blood, but Derry is sure she saw Jane walk into the trees. When another sibling goes missing and Frank’s true colors start to show, feeling safe is no longer an option. Derry will risk anything to protect the family she has left. Even if that means returning to the forest that has started calling to Derry in her missing siblings’ voices.

As Derry spends more time amidst the trees, her magic grows more powerful . . . and so does the darkness inside her, the viciousness she wants to pretend doesn’t exist. But saving her siblings from the forest and from Frank might mean embracing the darkness. And that just might be the most dangerous thing of all. 

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Reader friends, let me tell you - this is one hell of a book.  I've been having trouble not telling everyone exactly what happened because one of the characters is JUST OVERWHELMING.  

I will try my best to keep this review spoiler free. 

The writing is good, it was good enough to help the story flow well and keep me hooked.  The story itself was fantastic - I found the plot worthy of being read. The sisters, their home, their world were all well written and well developed.  The big moments throughout the story were weaved into the smaller day to day things very well.  

I liked all the characters except Frank.  You'll see why if you read the book.  He has a motivation for why he does what he does, but the girls also have a motivation for why they do what they do - and it all evens out in the end.  Each of the girls was well written and well developed, and had their own personalities, their own things that made them who they are, their own reason for being, and their own powers that really drove home who they are as "alchemists."  (Franks word.  The girls later reclaim the word witch, and that really suits them.) 

The way this book shows that each girl has their own power is awesome - with the flowers, and the FLOWERS (You'll see.  Derry is amazing.) The flowers glow when each girl is tested on their abilities, and that helps Frank learn things, which weaves together everything else that happens in this book to Frank and to the girls. Each thing we see, from the flowers, to the hidden trail, to the deep dive into Franks private room, all weave more detail into this book and help us learn so much about what has happened and what will happen. 

The forest being written as this almost living breathing thing in the book was great.  The forest was its own character that felt so alive, and that really helped the girls in the end.  That added more dimension again because it was such an integral part of everything that happened in this story - without the forest and what it can do there is no story and no past for the characters. 

Basically, I found the whole book a little shocking, and wholly amazing. 

If you have not read this book yet and like horror fantasy, I highly recommend reading this book as soon as you can. And then coming back here and telling me what you thought about it.  

If you've already read it, drop some thoughts about it in the comments! 

The Comfort of Reading

 

Hi Friends.

There's always so much going on in the world.  People are dying, warring, fighting, and it feels like things are not getting better sometimes. There are many things we should keep up with in the world, but at the same time, we need to take a break.  We need to refresh ourselves through whatever works for us. For me, and for most of you reading this post, there is a deep comfort in reading. 

You can pick up your hardcover or paperback and feel the cover in your hands.  You can flip the pages and feel that fond feeling you get when touching a book. Or, if you're like me, you can pick up a kindle and read books that way as well. Turn it on, open whatever book you want, and read through it with the press of your finger. 

If you are an audio listener, also like me, you also turn to whatever platform you use for audiobooks. You can pick out a book, and let the narrator take you away while you listen to the words as they surround you. 

It's coming on autumn here in the northern hemisphere, which means it's spooky season. It's cover up under a blanket with a cup of hot coffee or tea and a book season.  I find that to be a comfort personally.  I love the feeling of starting a new story, and finding out where it's going to go.  I love the feeling of laughing out loud at some fabulous rom-com. I love entering a new fantasy world filled with swords, or magic, or dragons, or all three of those things. 

This is what brings me comfort.  I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't feel comforted by words and reading.  As a young kid, I dragged my parents into my bedroom and made them listen to me read when I nailed my first picture book. That was great.  As a middle grade reader I lost myself in The Babysitters Club books.  I devoured book after book after book about the adventures of Mallory, Kristy, and all their friends. 

When I was a teenager I got solidly into the Sweet Valley High books, and also developed a deep love of classics.  I am totally dating myself here, friends. Yes, I was, in fact, a teenager during the 90's.  That's the 1990's.  

Seriously though, I'm grateful for books, and I love that they welcome any and all people. Anyone can pick up a book by Tahira Mafi, or Leigh Bardugo, or the romance likings of Talia Hibbert and Abby Jimenez.  You can pick up any book that sounds appealing to you and read it and find an amazing comfort and feeling of joy in that book. 

As the publishing world changes again, and again, and again, I will simply continue to remember my love of books and the comfort they bring me, and will continue to fight so that all people who want to tell their stories with the world have the chance to do that.

Bout of Books - A Review

 

Hi Reader Friends - I hope you're having a delightfully bookish week.  I've been reading a lot this week, go figure.  AND here's what I've accomplished so far for that dear old friend called Bout of Books 

I finished 3 books that were already in progress: 

- Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur 
- Inconvenient Wife by Natasha Boyd 

I am having a massive fibro brain fart right now, and can't remember what the third book was that I finished!  Anyway, after completing those books, I started: 

- Devil's Knot by Mara Leveritt
- Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez 
- Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor 

So far, I've listened to 1.5 hours of audio and read over 300 pages, so I feel like it's been a pretty bang up week.  

If you're doing Bout of Books, how has everything been going for you?  If you're not doing Bout of Books - WHY NOT.  Ok, I'm slightly joking - but for penance you have to tell me the top 5 books you've read so far this year. 

Bout of Books 35

 

Hey reader friends!  GUESS WHAT?!  It's almost time for Bout of Books 35.  Yep, I said 35.  

Bout of Books 35 starts next Monday August 15 - and I'm totally joining in, of course!  

If you've never heard of Bout of Books, here's a little description of it from their blog: 

The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It’s a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 15th and runs through Sunday, August 21st in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are reading sprints, Twitter chats, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For all Bout of Books 35 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I hope you'll consider joining in - it's very, very fun! 

I have no list prepared for what I want to read - but when I make up a BoB TBR I'll keep you in the loop, reader friends! 

Eyes of the Forest - April Henry

 

Title: Eyes of the Forest
Author: April Henry 
Format: Hardcover 
Rating: 2 Stars 

SPOILERS AHEAD

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After a bestselling fantasy author disappears, only his biggest fan believes he’s in danger and has the courage to uncover the truth in this fast-paced mystery with a chilling psychological twist.

Bridget is RM Haldon's biggest fan. His epic fantasy series, Swords and Shadows, created a lifeline between Bridget and her mom as she lost her battle with cancer. When Bridget met Haldon at his only book signing, she impressed the author with her encyclopedic knowledge of the fantasy world he'd created. Bridget has been working for him ever since as he attempts to write his final book. Now, Haldon is missing, and Bridget is the only person who seems concerned. Can Bridget piece together Haldon’s clues and save him before it’s too late?

Master mystery-writer April Henry weaves another heart-stopping young adult thriller in this story that seamlessly blends suspense with fan culture. For readers of Courtney Summers and Karen McManus.

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I was told there'd be a thriller. There was, in fact, no thriller.  

This is the first April Henry book I've read, so I didn't know what to expect.  The only reason I rated this book two stars was because it was not, in my opinion, a thriller.  It was not this heart pounding, "That person's been kidnapped" story. Rather, it was a book we go into fully knowing that the author has been kidnapped, and who did it.

Bridget, the books MC, is a superfan of a local fantasy author whose books have been popular since before she was born.  She's continued holding them close to her heart because she read them with her mom, who died when Bridget was 12.  In the second chapter we learn that Bob, author of this beloved fantasy series, organized his kidnapping with a local teen - Derrick.  Bob knows Derrick because Derrick's mom is Bob's cleaner/secretary. 

Anyway, during this "kidnapping" Derrick brings Bob things, and forces Bob to write, then sells the writing to people in the dark web.  It's not until halfway through the book that Bridget, who was apparently drafted into helping Bob keep track of his books because she has an encyclopedic knowledge base of said book, realizes that something is wrong and emails Bob. This leads him to email her, and it takes her just as long to realize the email is a code and MY GOD IT WAS SO SLOW AND SO INSIPID. 

So, before I go and spoil anything else (sorry, kind of) let me tell you about the following:

The Characters. They were not well developed at all.  They were all pretty one dimensional with no depth and nothing to make me care about them, not even a little bit.  There was literally not a single character in this book that I genuinely liked and wanted to root for.  

The Writing.  Mediocre at best.  There was just enough there to make me want to finish just so I could see HOW Bob got out, but otherwise, the phrasing of things just fell flat. 

The Story.  BORING.  The last time I was this bored reading a book that was supposed to be thrilling was when I read Lucy Foley's The Guest List.  When you know what's happening from the very beginning, it sort of takes all the fun out of it.

Friends, if you've read this book, I'm sorry.  And if you haven't read this book, DON'T.  

Drop some recs for awesome YA and adult thrillers and horror in the comments if you've got them!

Chef's Kiss - TJ Alexander

 

Title: Chef's Kiss 
Author: TJ Alexander 
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5 Stars 

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A high-strung pastry chef’s professional goals are interrupted by an unexpected career transition and the introduction of her wildly attractive nonbinary kitchen manager in this deliciously fresh and witty queer rom-com.

Simone Larkspur is a perfectionist pastry expert with a dream job at The Discerning Chef, a venerable cookbook publisher in New York City. All she wants to do is create the perfect loaf of sourdough and develop recipes, but when The Discerning Chef decides to bring their brand into the 21st century by pivoting to video, Simone is thrust into the spotlight and finds herself failing at something for the first time in her life.

To make matters worse, Simone has to deal with Ray Lyton, the new test kitchen manager, whose obnoxious cheer and outgoing personality are like oil to Simone’s water. When Ray accidentally becomes a viral YouTube sensation with a series of homebrewing videos, their eccentric editor in chief forces Simone to work alongside the chipper upstart or else risk her beloved job. But the more they work together, the more Simone realizes her heart may be softening like butter for Ray.

Things get even more complicated when Ray comes out at work as nonbinary to mixed reactions—and Simone must choose between the career she fought so hard for and the person who just might take the cake (and her heart).

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I absolutely adored this book.  The author did a great job of melding together two of my favorite things: Food and Romance. 

Simone and Ray were wonderfully written characters and I fell in love with both of them.  They were both well written and well developed.  It was fantastic to watch them both go through the changes they did and the self discovery they both experienced throughout the novel.  Simone really opened up and learned that it was okay to be more open not only with other people, but also with herself.  Ray had a lot to do with that because they were so open and so honest with Simone about who they were and what they wanted, and I think that showed Simone that she could be herself, even in the face of complete jackasses like Chase.

Speaking of Chase, he was one character in this book that I absolutely LOATHED.  He was a toady, ignorant jerk.  Ray came out to Simone as non-binary.  They then made the decision to come out to the rest of the employees of The Discerning Chef.  Most of the people who worked there were like "Okay, cool.  You are who you are." But Chase and some of the TDC execs were so awful to Ray.  These people would intentionally misgender Ray, using feminine pronouns for them, instead of they/them pronouns.  Chase would also repeatedly use Ray's dead name even after Ray told him they are called Ray.  It was absolutely infuriating.  Simone and several other employees really had Ray's back, and really worked hard to make sure they were all open to and accepting of Ray. 

I feel like this story was really well developed, and it drew me in from the beginning.  It also made me wish that Ray and Simone were real people doing real videos about beer and food because the videos they made together in the book sounded epic!  The author did a great job of developing the romance and chemistry between Simone and Ray, and also did a wonderful job of showing how hard it was for Ray to come out and be vulnerable in a place where a lot of people didn't accept them for who they are. 

Watching the characters get to know each other and develop these awesome bonds of friendship throughout the book was great.  (And, of course, the more between Ray and Simone.) It was great the way this helped them really stand together when Ray was being discriminated against because of who they were.  

I loved the slow burn aspect of the book as well.  You could tell that Ray and Simone were attracted to each other, but it was great that this book really took the time to develop that relationship and have those characters really get to know each other.  I'm not a big fan of insta-love, so having this slow development of the relationship was amazing.

Overall, this was a great read that I'd recommend to anyone who loves romance.  

If you've already read this book let me know what you thought of it in the comments! 

Pride Month Reading Recs

Hey reader friends!  Happy Pride Month.  If you're here because you just HAVE TO KNOW what books I'd rec for pride month - you're in luck. Here are just some of the amazing LGBTQ+ books that exist in this world.

YA Recs

Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli 
Camp - Lee Rosen 
The Heartstopper Series - Alice Oseman 
The Diviner Series - Libba Bray 
Jay's Gay Agenda - Jason June 
They Both Die At the End - Adam Silvera 
Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas 
The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali - Sabina Kahn 

Adult Recs 

Written in the Stars - Alexandria Bellefleur 
Hang the Moon - Alexandria Bellefleur 
The Boyfriend Project - Alexis Hall 
Red, White, and Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston 
The Guncle - Steve Rowley 

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There are so many fantastic books that should be read not only in this pride month but year round. Do you have more suggestions and recs?  Drop them in the comments below!

Bout of Books 34!

 

Hey reader friends.  Welcome!  It's the end of April - and in my world that means it's time for the May round of Bout of Books.  If you've ever visited my blog before, you know that I've been doing Bout of Books for at least 4 years.  I love Bout of Books so much.  It's, by far, my favorite readathon.  If you're not at all familiar with Bout of Books, here's a good description from one of the organizers:

The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It’s a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 9th and runs through Sunday, May 15th in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are reading sprints, Twitter chats, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For all Bout of Books 34 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I have an outrageous amount of books on my couch right now from the library, and I won't be able to make it through all of them during Bout of Books, because some of them are absolute chonkers.  But my goal is to read as much of them as I can during that week!  

If you want to do Bout of Books as well, you should definitely go to their blog right now and sign up!  I would love to spend the week reading with any one of you.

Heartstopper - the series

 

I just finished watching Heartstopper on Netflix, and it was just as sweet and adorable as the graphic novels.  If you're a teen who loves romance and all sorts of sweet cute stuff, or if you're an adult who loves rooting for kids being kids and being themselves, this is the series for you.  It is fluffy and awesome and I loved it! 

The series does a lot of things well, including the casting.  I absolutely loved each person cast in the series and I thought they fit into the characters they were playing so well.  I especially loved that they cast a trans actress to play Elle.  Hollywood has this bad bad habit of casting cis people to play trans roles, and that's just not cool - so it was really refreshing to see that they had cast Yasmin Finney in that role. 

True to the graphic novels, Ben and several of Nick's friends were real jerks.  Ben especially was just horrible!  He was so nasty to Charlie and it was absolutely fantastic when Charlie was finally able to build up the confidence to really tell Ben to basically fuck off and leave him alone.  Go Charlie!  

I loved that the art teacher was so cool and understanding with Charlie.  He'd been there when Charlie was bullied, when Charlie went through it with Ben, and just created this safe space within his classroom that made Charlie feel good.  It's great when the important adults in a young persons life show those kids that they are safe with that adult and that they can be whoever they are without question. 

The books and the Netflix series both show that acceptance is a good thing, It is amazing to see a series that wholeheartedly embraces all the characters and shows them living unapologetically.  I know someone is going to get their panties in a twist and get mad at seeing a show and a graphic novel series that shows queer love and joy, but my suggestion for them is: get over it.  Everyone deserves to be happy, to feel joy, to experience all the good things in life, and that includes LGBT people.  Alice Oseman did such a wonderful job creating this whole world and showing the love these people felt for their friends, and the joy and happiness they want with the people they liked. 

It was fantastic to see Charlie grow and to see Nick grow - to watch them both learn so much about themselves and who they are.  They were both just phenomenal and wonderful, and the actors cast to play them in the Netflix series were so so good.  

The whole season is beautiful and wonderful, and if you haven't watched it, you need to now.  Also, if you haven't read the books yet - DO IT NOW! 

Book Blog Ideas

Every book blogger knows that a book blog cannot survive solely on reviews.  Reviews are great, and we love writing them, but other posts besides reviews can really help a book blog thrive.  If you're looking for some other ideas for your blog, here are some ideas that could add some fun to your blogs. 

• Do a fake dating profile on one of your favorite characters 
• A Book Vs. Movie post based on whichever book you like and its movie counterpart. 
• Seasonal or Holiday themed posts (Best Books to Read for Valentine's Day, Best Summer Reads, etc)
• Book Haul Posts! (Show us all those awesome books!!!)
• Book Recs based on your favorite character(s) - which books would your favorite character love to read! 
• Kiss, Marry, Kill - it's cheesy but fun.  Have your followers give you three names, and pick which of those three you'd kiss, marry, or kill
• RIP it or SHIP it - pick two characters, any two characters, and tell your readers if you'd RIP them or SHIP them
• If you like this, try that....
• Monthly TBR lists 
• Monthly wrap ups 
• Your favorite characters of all time (or favorite characters from a certain series or genre)
• Your auto buy authors 
• Do a contest or giveaway 
• If you're involved with blog tours - do more blog tour posts 
• Author interviews!  If you can manage it, having an author interview on your blog would be a great way to engage readers 

Do you have any other ideas you'd add to a list like this?  Hope you enjoy, and feel free to share any ideas you have as well!  

The Guest List - Lucy Foley

Title: The Guest List 
Author: Lucy Foley 
Format: E-Book 
Rating: 2 stars 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Well, dear reader friends - here it is: the first book I've read this year that 100% did not live up to the hype for me.  

The book started with Hannah and her husband Charlie on a boat to the island where Jules's wedding is being held.  From there, much of the first 1/2 of the book is all talking about clothing that everyone is going to wear, or the men acting like teenagers, or Hannah's insecurities.  I almost DNF'd the book more than once, but felt obligated to finish it because it was for book club. 

Sure, there were a few moments throughout the beginning of the book that helped build character - like Hannah and Olivia talking to each other about some BIG THINGS that happened in both of their pasts. Those moments also definitely added some element of surprise to the novel.  But for the most part, I was bored reading about them just talking about clothes, or having sex with each other. (Seriously, the bride and groom COULD NOT keep their hands off each other.)  I don't want to sounds like a prude - I read books with sex in them, that's not my complaint.  In this case, it didn't add anything to the actual story though. 

I also hated every character in the book.  Seriously, I personally could not find even one character that I liked throughout the entire book - they were all terrible people.  Remember that movie Terrible Bosses? Or was it Horrible Bosses?  Anyway, every character in this book was like one of those horrible bosses that you just loathe with every fiber of your being. 

In spite of everything I hated about this book, I think the setting did work well for the story.  It added an element of build up and tension that other parts of the story did not have.  That being said, taking a bottle of vodka out through a rocky passageway and getting drunk is probably not the wisest decision. 

This was supposed to be a psychological thriller, but it didn't scare me or get me riled up at all. It just made me mad and bored that the book wasn't more well written. 

If you've read this book, let me know what you thought in the comments below.  If you have any suggestions for psychological thrillers that pack more of a punch, Let Me Know!