Halloween minis

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

This is my absolute favorite holiday! After today I start to get cranky about all the Christmas stuff. I’m a real life Grinch. lol

I planned on some spooky reading but it didn’t really pan out but here are two Halloween themed romance stories (the first is of the sexy variety – the second just kissing) and a potentially spooky read that I started last night.



Mating the Huntress by Talia Hibbert

This Halloween, love bites back… hard.

Chastity Adofo knows a monster when she sees one. As soon as Luke Anthony wanders into her family’s coffee shop, she recognises the evil lurking beneath his charming smile and fantastic arse. The handsome werewolf is determined to have her—but she’s determined to cut out his heart.

Little does she know, Luke’s plans for her are far more pleasurable than murder. And when the full moon rises, all bets are off…

Warning: Mating the Huntress is 30,000+ words of red-hot, Halloween-themed romance. This novella contains one flirtatious, cursed creature of the night, one badass, knife-happy heroine, and forbidden lust at first sight. Please read responsibly! ~ Goodreads

 Source: Purchased

My thoughts:

Sexy as hell fated mate romance between a werewolf and a huntress set during Halloween so perfect for October reading.

Luke was sufficiently growly and possessive of his new found mate but he was also sweet, tender, and respectful of her feelings. He was too darn cute for words, and Chas was tough, kind and intelligent.



Geeky, Freaky, Clueless by G.G. Andrews

Phineas Harrington was Vina Penjarla's first real kiss. But when she discovers the gorgeous Brit is the new theater director she'll be working with, things get super complicated. After all, Vin knows nothing about this dating stuff. And as her attraction for the sweet and intelligent guy grows, so does her fear that he's keeping a big, dark secret.


But what if Vin has a secret of her own? ~ Goodreads
Source: e-arc provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

My thoughts: I always look forward to the latest release to this fun Halloween themed romance series. I wish there was a little more Halloween to this story but otherwise both Phineas and Vin were super cute together as they try to get over their awkwardness – and the fact that Phin might be a serial killer. The series is on KU and the first book – Crazy, Sexy, Ghoulish takes place in a seasonal haunted house.


Flesh by Laura Bickle

The dead are easy to talk to. Live people, not so much.

Charlie Sulliven thinks she knows all the secrets of the dead. Raised in a funeral home, she’s the reluctant “Ghoul Girl,” her reputation tied to a disastrous Halloween party. But navigating her life as a high school sophomore is an anxiety-inducing puzzle to her. She haunts the funeral home with her parents, emo older brother, Garth, their pistol-packing Gramma, and the glass-eyeball-devouring dachshund, Lothar.

Chewed human bodies are appearing in her parents’ morgue…and disappearing in the middle of the night. The bodies seem tied to a local legend, Catfish Bob, who has resurfaced in the muddy Milburn river near Charlie’s small town. When one of Charlie’s classmates, Amanda, awakens in the cooler as a flesh-eating ghoul, Charlie must protect her newfound friend and step up to unravel the mystery…and try to avoid becoming lunch meat for the dead. ~ Goodreads

Source: Purchased

My thoughts: I’m reading this one right now and it’s kind of younger skewing than I expected.

Charlie is the daughter of a coroner and lives at her parents funeral home. There’s a lot of set up which has been kind of boring TBH but things seem to be picking up as bodies are doing weird things – like moving. There’s a funny dachshund that tries to run away with body parts of the Dearly Departed and interesting side characters so I think it will be fun once the plot kicks in.





And it’s also the day that I torture my pets. They’ve been sick over the weekend (they’re ok now!) so I only managed last minute costumes but ehhh…still cute.

Fonzi is some kind of fairy/unicorn hybrid (he wanted to eat the feathers the whole time) and Indy is being basic lol He’s 16 and done with this silly costume business. He used to LOVE dressing up though.

These are some of my past dog costumes when we had Indy, Beau & Lily.

Have you been reading anything spooky? Do you do anything to celebrate the day?

The Friday 5: Bookish Nightmares

It's almost Halloween & I'm sharing my bookish nightmares!

1.

Too many books/Never be able to read ALL the books

This is probably every reader's #1 bookish nightmare. No matter how voraciously or fast we read – there never seems to be enough time to get to all our books  - never mind keeping up with all the new books!

2.

Running out of books

My goal for this year was to make a big dent in my 185 book TBR pile. And I did. I got down to under 40 books. 

And Panicked.

What if I’m only left with 2 books to choose from?

This is completely irrational – I know. I can buy more books, there’s the library – and the fact that -

YOU CAN NEVER RUN OUT OF BOOKS. See #1

3.

Natural Disasters

Living in FL means I have lived through a few hurricanes and tornadoes.

Each year we put together our survival kit and have our emergency plan for us and the pets.

But what about my books? I’m always afraid they will get swept away and consider getting one of those large safes to lock up my special books or the ones I haven't read yet.

I know that possessions aren’t as important as people (or my fur babies!) but it is always in the back of my mind.

4.

Reading is dangerous!

There's the risk of being crushed by a towering TBR pile.
Repetitive stress injuries to you wrist - which I get constantly from my Kindle.
Papercuts.
Eyestrain/headaches.
Sleep deprivation.
Starvation because you forget to eat while reading.

Not medical but...reading can also lead to -

Debt.
Troubled relationships due to neglect.

5.

This is an actual bookish nightmares that I’ve had after I got back from ALA in June. I  tend to feel overwhelmed with how many new books I have after a book conference.

I panic over where to put them – what order to read them in – how am I going to review them all???

 ~ The was after I got back from ALA (American Library Association annual conference)

 I wanted to keep my books safe and felt that the best place to hide them was at my Veterinarian's office.

O_O

So, in the middle of the night I piled up all my books (100's of them - and more than I actually got at the conference) and carried them to my vets and hid them in the Dr.’s office. I walked…in the middle of the night…about 10 miles away….carrying 100's of books.

Then I get home, after safely hiding all my books – and start thinking that anyone can walk in his office and take a book and I’m not there to watch them and I would never know or be able to get it back.

I start trying to walk back but get caught in a loop and can’t find my way. Then I woke up in a panic and I literally had to go check on my books to calm down. lol

Did I ever get to save my books? Did my local veterinarian's office turn into a lending library??

The logic of that dream is so ridiculous that I don’t even know where to start.

Bonus story - and not really a nightmare. More like a bookworm’s dream come true but still weird that books stay on the brain even while sleeping.

I was tearing old wallpaper off one of my walls and found a soft spot that turned out to be a secret bookshelf. It was really ornate with detailed molding – not my taste at all – but dream me loved it!

I started planning a color palette for the walls to compliment it – deep purples and gold – and organizing all my books.

Then I started busting down other walls in my house looking for more hidden shelves. And kept finding more hidden shelves.

When I woke up I had big plans to do this in real life but, alas, I don't have any walls I can go busting through 😢

I

What are your bookish nightmares (& dreams!)

whatever wednesday: music

Today I’m sharing Grace VanderWaal’s interpretation of the classic song – I Can See Clearly Now.

Her version is simply titled, Clearly. I think it’s really beautiful and uplifting.



What do you think?

*In case you don’t remember the original by Johnny Nash – you can check it out here.

monday minis

Happy Monday!! We finally have temperatures below 90 this week! 80 is still too hot but I will take it!

Here are a few minis to kick off the week. Let me know what you guys are reading int eh comments!


This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender

A fresh, charming rom-com perfect for fans of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Boy Meets Boy about Nathan Bird, who has sworn off happy endings but is sorely tested when his former best friend, Ollie, moves back to town.

Nathan Bird doesn’t believe in happy endings.

Although he’s the ultimate film buff and an aspiring screenwriter, Nate’s seen the demise of too many relationships to believe that happy endings exist in real life.

Playing it safe to avoid a broken heart has been his MO ever since his father died and left his mom to unravel—but this strategy is not without fault. His best-friend-turned-girlfriend-turned-best-friend-again, Florence, is set on making sure Nate finds someone else. And in a twist that is rom-com-worthy, someone does come along: Oliver James Hernández, his childhood best friend.
After a painful 
mix-up when they were little, Nate finally has the chance to tell Ollie the truth about his feelings. But can Nate find the courage to pursue his own happily ever after? ~ Goodreads

Source: ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

My thoughts:  This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story has an incredible amount of diversity – PoC main characters, Bisexuality (M/M, f/f, M/f pairings, disability rep – one main character is deaf and uses ASL.

Nathan’s life and relationships were messy but cute. he is still very much in love with his best friend, Florence, who broke up with him and is now dating someone else. Nathan pretends to be cool about it so he doesn’t lose her friendship. Then an old crush comes back and things get even messier. It was high on the angst but in a lighthearted, authentic way. My only gripe is that I think the story needed an epilogue. I don’t need a specific HEA (especially with teens) but I would have loved to see how Nathan and Oliver in the long run.



Jack of  Hearts (and Other Parts) by L.C. Rosen

My first time getting it in the butt was kind of weird. I think it's going to be weird for everyone's first time, though.

Meet Jack Rothman. He's seventeen and loves partying, makeup and boys - sometimes all at the same time. His sex life makes him the hot topic for the high school gossip machine. But who cares? Like Jack always says, 'it could be worse'.

He doesn't actually expect that to come true.

But after Jack starts writing an online sex advice column, the mysterious love letters he's been getting take a turn for the creepy. Jack's secret admirer knows everything: where he's hanging out, who he's sleeping with, who his mum is dating. They claim they love Jack, but not his unashamedly queer lifestyle. They need him to curb his sexuality, or they'll force him.

As the pressure mounts, Jack must unmask his stalker before their obsession becomes genuinely dangerous... ~ Goodreads

Source: ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

My thoughts: After reading a few reviews, I was honestly expecting Caligula level sex in Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts). What I actually found is a very honest and (shockingly for YA) frank discussion about gay sex and sexuality. Yes, it is graphic at times but most of it comes from Jack’s sex advice column and is presented in a educational, non judgmental way. And yes, Jack is gay, not in a relationship, doesn’t want one yet, engages in hook ups and that’s fiiiiiine. But it’s all consensual, safe and written well imo.

There’s a parallel mystery when Jack starts receiving anonymous love letters that aim to shame and then threaten him about his sexuality once he starts his Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) sex advice column.

There’s a bit of a Scooby Gang crime solving but it makes perfect sense in relation to Jack’s situation. Some of the adults blame him for his own harassment and Jack is brought to a low point in order to appease his stalker.

On a positive note – there are supportive adults in this book too (a teacher, Jack’s mom) and while Jack’s light is temporarily dimmed – it never goes out.

While some adults and readers might not want this level of explicitness in their books (& that’s ok), I love when YA is willing to show the reality of teen sex and give solid, relatable information. Some things, such as hooking up with college guys, made the over protective adult in me cringe, but it's a reality and I would rather have information on how to deal with things out there.

The advice column is very explicit and covers everything from threesomes, BDSM, bad sex, preparation and asexuality. The point Jack tries to make in his advice column is that it’s ok to question, to want sex or want to wait – its all about consent, safety and what feels right for you.

The Darkest Star by Jennifen L. Armentrout

When seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher is caught up in a raid at a notorious club known as one of the few places where humans and the surviving Luxen can mingle freely, she meets Luc, an unnaturally beautiful guy she initially assumes is a Luxen...but he is in fact something much more powerful. Her growing attraction for Luc will lead her deeper and deeper into a world she'd only heard about, a world where everything she thought she knew will be turned on its head...

#1 New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns to the universe of the Lux in this brand new series, featuring beloved characters both new and old. ~ Goodreads

Source: ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

My thoughts: The Darkest Star is a new Lux spin-off series. I didn't realize that when I picked this up and have only read the first book of that one so most of these characters & some of the plot set up are unfamiliar to me. It wasn't too much of an obstacle but I think being a fan who read all the previous books would have made this more enjoyable.

This has a pretty fun premise and interesting twists but - it also takes awhile to get to anything of importance, and once we do, it's the end of the story. I think the 2nd book will be a lot more fun but if you loved the Lux series then this is very similar (at least to the one book I read) and you should love it.

review: dear evan hansen by val emmich

From the show's creators comes the groundbreaking novel inspired by the Broadway smash hit Dear Evan Hansen.

Dear Evan Hansen,

Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why...

When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family's grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend.

Suddenly, Evan isn't invisible anymore--even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy's parents, with their beautiful home on the other side of town, have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his closest friend. As Evan gets pulled deeper into their swirl of anger, regret, and confusion, he knows that what he's doing can't be right, but if he's helping people, how wrong can it be?

No longer tangled in his once-incapacitating anxiety, this new Evan has a purpose. And a website. He's confident. He's a viral phenomenon. Every day is amazing. Until everything is in danger of unraveling and he comes face to face with his greatest obstacle: himself.

A simple lie leads to complicated truths in this big-hearted coming-of-age story of grief, authenticity and the struggle to belong in an age of instant connectivity and profound isolation. ~ Goodreads

Source: ARC provided by the publisher via ALA18

Review:

I had a lot of conflicting thoughts about Dear Evan Hansen. To prevent this from becoming a nonsensical ramble – possible rant – I’m going to break it down into what worked and what didn’t work for me.

Stop trying to make fetch happen:

From the Goodreads summary - “From the show's creators comes the groundbreaking novel” 

From the publisher forward – “From The Catcher in the Rye and The Outsiders to The Fault in Our Star and Eleanor & Park, we know that millions of readers of all ages can be united by a single powerful coming-of –age story. this year, that story will be Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel. This novel will define a generation, and together we will make it a modern classic. Dear Evan Hansen is not just a musical, and the novel is not just a book; Dear Evan Hansen is a movement…”

Honestly, this type of hype and publisher spin just pisses me off. Dear Evan Hansen is good book. It has important things to say. it occasionally does that very well. Some of it not so well. It’s not original or groundbreaking. Sure, not this particular story, but mental illness, coming of age, isolation…It’s been done both better and worse before.

Evan Hansen: I liked Evan. He does some despicable things. Like lying to a grieving family about knowing their son, Connor They find a letter addressed to Evan – assume it was a suicide note to his best friend (Evan). Evan let's them believe it, rather than telling the truth. It was a note that Evan was writing to himself as an assignment for his therapist and Connor had stolen it from Evan at school.

Despite that, I understood how Evan got into this mess. He suffers from severe, debilitating anxiety and a somewhat distant relationship with his overworked, single mom. So when the note brings Connor’s family comfort and they wrap him in their love and family as he spins tales of a friendship that has never existed – well, I got it. I don’t approve of it – but I got it. And I think Emmich did a wonderful job of portraying Evan’s anxiety and treatment but also how mental illness touches those around him.

Connor: Connor has a pov as something of a ghost or maybe his spirit before it passes. He’s dead but can travel around and sees his family grieving & hears Evan's lies while telling the reader about the events led up to his suicide.

Connor is a fascinating character. He has a reputation as a violent, drug addicted, unhinged, loner at school. Through Connor’s pov, we see that not every story was true – at least not to the extent that the stories are embellished and grow into urban legends.

But…are they true? I could never figure out if Connor was an unreliable narrator or not. His side certainly seems plausible. Maybe he is just misunderstood or lonely but those very close to him, like his sister, felt threatened and scared and we did see him act violently towards Evan at school.

Mental health: So, this is where I had the most trouble with this book. And I get that every reader brings their own experience to a book so I’m not knocking anyone who finds comfort or their truth here but while I felt Evan’s & to some extent Connor’s experiences were raw, honest and on point – that narrative took a nosedive toward the end..

Most of these books have a hook - something other than the mental illness to inspire growth and meaning for the main character, in this case, Evan. But they come at the cost of other people and a topic that should be handled better.

For example – when the truth about Evan comes out – the book flashes forward and we see that Evan has successfully come out the other side. Yes, with therapy and coping mechanisms but he was barely living day to day in the beginning but the reader doesn’t see how he got there?

And Connor’s mental state is diluted down to his depression and suicide being over the loss of a relationship? Which, I can see how it was devastating for him and what led to him to give up but it’s never really explained what was going on with Connor. I just felt like the violence was pushed aside somewhat to latch onto the lost love narrative.

Final thoughts: I think Evan Hansen brings up a lot of interesting issues. Is it worth letting a lie stand if it helps others? It also addresses social media and instant celebrity/validation, mental illness and how it effects the entire family and relationships – which is one of the best things about this book.

Evan’s single mom and Connor’s parents are struggling and in so much pain. They make mistakes when dealing with their children. It’s nuanced, painful, and done so well. I wish that this was the focus or at least there was follow through instead of a shift to wrapping things up neatly and quickly.

I'm not a fan of using a cutesy premise and sacrificing one characters pain/arc to show *life is worth living!* for the main character. Portraying something that causes so much pain to others and then kind of sweeping it all under the rug to get to a happy ending and say see! It was bad but worth it! I couldn't help but wonder about the aftermath to Connor's family after learning that everything they so desperately wanted to know about their dead son was a lie. That's not shown. Or how Evan healed.

We're just supposed to believe that this was a mistake but it helped everyone grow so worth it and that's just not my jam anymore.

I can see why readers find this story inspiring but it wasn't for me.

Ok – so that was a long and rambling anyway lol Sorry

Whatever Wednesday: TBB Asks - october fall 2.0

Favorite Fall Color?

Apple Cider HOT or COLD?

Caramel Apple: Yes or No?

Pumpkin Doughnut or Apple Cider Doughnut?

Long or Short Cardigan?

Favorite Football or Fall Party Food?

Orange or White Pumpkins?

Hayride or Bonfire?

Favorite Fall Baked Good?

Most Anticipated Fall Activity?

I almost didn't do this months prompt. The sad truth is – I live in FL and it’s still 90 degrees so I can’t enjoy fall.

But if were to answer each question - there wouldn't be an either/or - I love EVERYTHING about fall. All the colors, all the food, all the decor, all the activities. (except football)

I am feeling defiant though, so I’m baking a pumpkin pie today. And it was 57 the other morning so I pulled out a sweater to wear (with shorts lol) for approximately 30 minutes before I got too hot.

I hate winter but boy do I miss fall!


What are your fall favorites?

monday mini: For Every One by Jason Reynolds

I just have one mini today - For Every One by Jason Reynolds.



From Goodreads:


Originally performed at the Kennedy Center for the unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and later as a tribute to Walter Dean Myers, this stirring and inspirational poem is New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds’s rallying cry to the dreamers of the world.

For Every One is just that: for every one. For every one person. For every one dream. But especially for every one kid. The kids who dream of being better than they are. Kids who dream of doing more than they almost dare to dream. Kids who are like Jason Reynolds, a self-professed dreamer. Jason does not claim to know how to make dreams come true; he has, in fact, been fighting on the front line of his own battle to make his own dreams a reality. He expected to make it when he was sixteen. Then eighteen. Then twenty-five. Now, some of those expectations have been realized. But others, the most important ones, lay ahead, and a lot of them involve kids, how to inspire them. All the kids who are scared to dream, or don’t know how to dream, or don’t dare to dream because they’ve NEVER seen a dream come true. Jason wants kids to know that dreams take time. They involve countless struggles. But no matter how many times a dreamer gets beat down, the drive and the passion and the hope never fully extinguish—because just having the dream is the start you need, or you won’t get anywhere anyway, and that is when you have to take a leap of faith.

Source: Finished copy provided by the publisher via ALA18

My thoughts:

I have been wanting to try Reynolds books for a very long time. I picked up this book and Long Way Down while at ALA. At just over 100 pages, this was a perfect introduction to his writing.

For Every One is for all the dreamers...it's part poetry, part letter, with pieces of random thoughts thrown in. It's sparse yet heartfelt.

It reads a like an inspirational commencement speech; raw, beautiful and encouraging and the hardcover is gorgeous – making it the perfect gift for a graduate or someone just starting out or embarking on their dreams.

And I love this space that allows you to personalize and pass the book on to future dreamers...

the friday 5: Reality Bites

I rarely read non-fiction and when I do it takes me FOREVER to finish them. I read a bit here and there, set it aside for a month, and come back to it because there’s no driving plot to keep me engaged.

Even so, I did pick up a few non-fiction books at ALA and the library and I figured I’d share my thoughts so far. I did finish and few – while the others are still in progress.

1.

Fantastic Failures: True Stories of People Who Changed the World by Falling Down First by Luke Reynolds

Goodreads

Source: ALA18

~ Reynolds, formally a 7th grade English teacher, noticed that many of the children he taught felt pressured do do everything perfect all of the time and didn’t know how to deal with failure.

In writing Fantastic Failures, he hopes to show that even the most successful people have failed before picking themselves back up and getting it right.

Told in short, 2-3 page chapters, he profiles a subject (& it’s quite diverse! including people from different backgrounds,, ethnicity, sexual orientations, the famous & non-famous, and even a horse (Seabiscuit) by starting with a made up bio of how everything went perfectly right from the start and then NOPE – this is how it really went down.

There are also mini snippets for people related to the main subject and references included at the end of each chapter.  Reynolds uses the persons struggle to relate it to something that may be going on in the readers life and how they could learn from it.

This is meant for younger readers (ages 6+) and at times had a repetitive style (I skimmed over the fake bios for example) but it was written in a quick, humorous style and should appeal to it’s intended audience.

2.

The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama XIV, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Carlton Abrams (translator)

Goodreads

Source: Purchased

~ I’ve been reading this book for what seems like forever lol I think it’s been at least a year. I kind of pull it out when I’m feeling down and need a kick in the pants to get out of that negative thought spiral.

The Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu have the best rapport and it’s so adorable to eavesdrop on their conversations about finding joy or when the Dalai Lama makes Desmond Tutu blush talking about sex lol

I have dozens of quotes post-it tabbed so far but the reason I’m struggling to finish is that there is that Abrams (the translator) often interjects himself into the text to discuss the science of happiness and honestly... I don’t care. I just wanted to feel the joy of the men conversing.

If you are interested in the science of happiness or just need inspirational quotes to get through difficult times, I highly recommend The Book of Joy.

3.

My Mother’s Kitchen: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and the Meaning of Life by Peter Gethers

Goodreads

Source: Publisher

~ I lost my mom to cancer when I was 16 years old but I have fond memories of her cooking her famous spaghetti sauce every weekend. There’s something about food that brings people together and creates special moments. My husband’s grandmother is a more recent memory, and why I picked this book up. While my mom had a few special dishes – she wasn’t a great cook. Sorry mom lol and didn't care that much about it. Now Kevin’s Granny… she always had her special lemon bars or molasses cookies at the ready for a visit. And you HAD to eat them. ALL of them or it was a great insult! Even if she made dozens and you couldn’t fit even one more. When she was older and knew she wasn’t going to be around much longer, she hand wrote all the recipes in a little book for me. I can’t cook like her at all but I treasure that memento from her. She was also the person who bought all my first cookware when we got married. And I still have it all!

So anyway – that was a long winded way of saying that this book – about a son trying to give his aging restaurateur mother, Judy Gethers, the gift of her favorite meals but ends up learning about his mom’s past and become closer than ever - brought back my own fond memories.

I’m still reading this one too. The stories about Gethers mom are wonderful but he often makes it about himself so I drift off.

4.

Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens

Goodreads

Source: ALA18

~ Unbroken is a YA Anthology of short stories featuring disabled teens, written by #ownvoice authors.

I feel like there’s been a huge step forward in representation in so many areas of YA – but disability is not one of them. Hopefully this book helps push in that direction.

I’m just starting this one now and hope to have a review coming soon.

5.

Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay

Goodreads

~ I'm listening to this one on audio right now on audio and I'm surprised by how much I'm enjoying it.

I've always enjoyed Gay's thoughtful responses on social media and in interviews and Bad Feminist is a collection of essays where she tries to reconcile her enjoyment of problematic pop culture and feminism.

To be honest, most of the book wasn't about her personal feminism - more an indictment of certain entertainment. She discusses Chris Brown and his violent past yet acknowledges his songs are catchy but she doesn't listen to him because of it so not exactly a bad feminist. 

Gay covers topics from 50S0G (& I laughed so hard at this one), Twilight, Girls, The Hunger Games and oddly...Scrabble. Some chapters start with one train of thought, drift, and then come back to the original topic - leaving the narrative disjointed at times.

Then other chapters punch you so hard in the gut that you want to cry and take a break from reading. Her essays on rape, body image and race are incredibly powerful.

She doesn't offer answers but poses the question - can you enjoy problematic entertainment? So far I've found the title a bit misleading but this is still an interesting critique of pop culture and  it's, occasionally, it's relation to feminism.

Do you read non-fiction? Do you have any books to recommend?

whatever wednesday: twenty one pilots trench trilogy videos

Twenty Two Pilots 5th studio album Trench came out last week and, no surprise, I LOVE it. It tackles depression, suicide, fame and I love how they balance the darkness with hope but the videos have been next level amazing.

The first three videos from Trench are an apocalyptic, YA-ish vibe trilogy. I love the music and the visuals. If you’ve been a long time fan there are a lot of Easter eggs but also makes sense if you aren’t.

Here they are in order…

Jumpsuit



Nico and the Niners



Levitate (my favorite)



And if you don’t feel like watching an apocalyptic music trilogy – check out their Fight Club inspired video for My Blood

my monday musings: adventures in audiobook-ing

For those of that have followed this blog for a while – you know that I’ve struggled with audiobooks but keep trying anyway.

Everyone is always praising the multitasking advantages but I can’t really multitask while listening. I lose the thread too easily and I don’t do anything long enough that would give me the time to really sink into a story. Folding laundry – 5 minutes, Vacuuming – 5 minutes. And I read super fast! I can read a book in 4-6 hours so the 8+hours of an audiobook – when I can only listen about 2 hours per day – is super frustrating to me. It takes me weeks to finish a book that way.

But I do drive for a few hours each morning and now that we have (slightly) cooler mornings, I’ve been trying to get a walk in and audiobooks are great for that.

And I mentioned in a previous post that I now have access to the Libby app through my library and I do LOVE that. Searching and checking out a book is super easy. There are plenty of ways to organize and adjust your reading experience.

It’s been a struggle but here’s how I’m doing so far!

Attempt #1



Yes Please by Amy Poehler

I had read and enjoyed several biographies by comedians on audio years ago, so I thought this was the best place to start. There's now plot and comedians are funny so...

But alas, Amy didn’t work for me. She was very funny but since she’s reading all her jokes they come off kind of stilted. She also goes off on unrelated tangents before coming back to whatever the chapter is supposed to be about so that was annoying. It sort of feels like kicking a puppy saying that I didn’t like her narration - but I didn’t and just let the book expire instead of finishing.

Attempt #2



Is Everyone Hanging Out Without me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

This went a bit better than Amy’s. Mindy is funny and is better at making her narration sound more conversational with the reader than reading off a teleprompter. I laughed  - but when my borrow time expired, I didn’t renew it.

Attempt #3



Royally Endowed by Emma Chase 

Next, I thought maybe I would try a romance by a favorite author. Possibly a re-read but on audio this time. Something funny though.

I wanted Sustained by Emma Chase because that’s one of my favorites but it wasn’t available at my library. Royally Endowed (Royally #3) by Chase was though. I had read the first book in this series and this one had great reviews so I borrowed it.

Revoke my woman card...

Royally Endowed had dual narration. Logan was narrated by Shane East – who’s voice is described as *panty melting hot* on Goodreads but eek…I did not like him at all. Logan is a brooding, British royal security guard, so the deep anguished voice works when he’s on the job but he used the same bland/intense tone for everything. He treats every scenario with the same intensity. Like, I felt if he ever went to the bathroom he would narrate it as a national security threat 🤣 I actually laughed out loud during my walk when he was describing sex (I think it was a masturbation scene) with such intensity. Then Ellie – the girl he is protecting – is supposed to be free spirited and fun but came off whiny with a weird high pitched voice.

And this is when I realized I’m very picky about narration. I don’t like a lot of inflection or *acting out* the story. And I really hate when women’s voices are pitched really high and squeaky or low and breathy, or when men’s are super low and gravelly.

This is clearly just a me thing…since everyone else was in a swoon over this one & west's voice but I can’t take an entire audiobook that sounds like James Bond talking. Too serious for me! lol

Attempt #3 Success!



The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

I had avoided The Kiss Quotient during it’s hype phase because it didn't sound like my cup of tea – I’m not always a fan of innocent virginal types with domineering, experienced, and in this case, a professional escort, lovers teaching the art of sex. It always feels a little off balance to me but I thought it might work on audio and it
did!

I adored Carly Robins narration of both Stella and Michael – as well as Michael’s family. She kept the tone even but with enough personality to fall in love with the characters and the ability tell the difference between each one.

I got so into this one that I ended up sitting on my couch listening to it all day just so I could finish.
As for the story itself, it wasn’t a 5 star – best book of 2018 – for me (I gave it 3.5 stars - Stella has Asperger's and I felt like there was a magical orgasm cures all vibe and Michael was over-the top with issues later in the 2nd half of the book. First half was AWESOME) but it gave me hope on the audio front.

*Also - I butt returned this one (like butt dialing) with only 1 hour to go! I almost had a breakdown but was able to borrow it right back and it was right where I left off. Whew!

Attempt #4


I’m currently trying UF by listening to White Hot by Ilona Andrews. I have the paperback but haven’t gotten to it yet so I think I’m going to try swapping back and forth to see how that goes for me. The audio is 12 hours long and I just can’t go at that pace and take 2 weeks to finish something I could read in an afternoon in paperback.

But the narration by Renee Raudman isn’t bad (although I think I zoned out for 1/2 a chapter somewhere lol

I’m also on hold for Sadie by Courtney Summers – that’s another book that I have a physical copy for. I’ve heard that the plot involves a podcast – so that might be fun to listen to on audio but be able to finish quicker with the paperback.

So, basically…the saga continues. It’s still not my preferred format to read but I think audiobooks might work for certain books that I wouldn’t read otherwise.

October TBR pile

We have FINALLY gotten a few cool…hours - not days yet – just hours - where there’s a break in the humidity – but I’ll take it! This morning was 68 degrees and I went for a nice long walk in the park.

October is going to be a busy reading month but SO many great books on the pile to choose from! All of these are from ALA18 (the American Library Association conference)

After this – I only have about 5 more arc’s for the rest of 2018 so it’s back to reading my own books for fun.

This is the first time I’ve gotten through most all of my conference books in a timely fashion. Not all of them worked and I’m getting better about DNF’ing those but most have been great reads.

I wanted to get to spooky reads in October but I’m not sure when I’ll fit that in. Knowing me, I’ll read creepy stuff in December instead lol

So without further ado….here’s my October reading stack!




The Geography of Lost Things by Jessica Brody
What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Darkdeep by Ally Condi and Brendan Reichs
Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman 
This is Kind of and Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender
The Darkest Star by Jennifer Armentrout 
Light Years by Kass Morgan
Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) by Lev A.C. Rosen 
Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzie Lee
Black Wings Beating by Alex London 
Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich


I already finished This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender (Goodreads) - Very cute story about changing relationships, second chances, family. There’s actually quite a bit of angst but in a way that felt authentic to being a teen and screwing up – making things right again. It’s a quick/light read.

I’m really looking forward to The Geography of Lost Things – I always enjoy Brody’s contemporaries. I’ve heard nothing bu amazing things about Dry by Neal & Jarrod Shusterman and it’s been YEARS since I’ve read a dystopian novel. What If It’s Us, Jack of Hearts and The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy all sound amazing!

I’m reading Black Wings Beating buy Alex London right now and I’m struggling with the writing. I haven’t heard great things about it so I’ll give it another 20 pages or so then make a call to DNF or not.

What are you all reading in October?

Have you read any of these or looking forward to any of them?

monday musings: September reading wrap-up

Happy Monday everyone!

Before I get to my September reading wrap-up – let me announce the winner of my September Pick Your Book giveaway 

Congratulations to AMBER S. !!!

Wrap-Up!

September was a fantastic reading month for me!!! I read an average amount (for me) # of books – 14 but a) I made a major dent in my ALA arc book pile, & b) I ENJOYED most of what I read.

Honestly, so many months are a blur of books that don’t make any sort of impression in my mind. I forget them as soon as I put them down – even if I liked them.

But this month I had a few that will make my best of 2018 list.

*Click on covers to go to Goodreads page

The Best!



Josh and Haze’s Guide to Not Dating  by Christine Lauren. THIS was the romance book I have been looking for. Sweet, low angst, romantic and hilarious.

Rainy Day Friends by Jill Shalvis – RDF was a little angsty, with a women’s fiction vibe but I adored the sense of family, second chances, humor and solid supportive hero.

Pride by Ibi Zoboi – I loved how Zoboi struck all the notes of the classic in her P&P retelling but made this story her own and completely relevant to today’s times.

For Every One by Jason Reynolds – at just over 100 pages, this is a quick inspirational read that encourages the reader not to give up on their dreams.

Honorable mentions!



Seasons of Wonder (Haven Point #9) by RaeAnne Thayne – this was a sweet holiday themed story about a single mom to two young girls trying to start over in a small town who falls for a single cop.
it had a quiet quality that just never grabbed me. Still – a nice story with nice people trying to make their lives better.

Perfect Day by Sally Malcom – this is a M/M Persuasion retelling. This was super angsty but in a good way. I loved the couple – past and present - and adored Finn’s family but some of the drama was weird and dragged out. Overall I really enjoyed it though!

Disappointing!



After finishing Josh & Hazel I was so excited to get approved for Lauren's next book - My Favorite Half-Nigh Stand but I didn't enjoy this one at all. :-((( *sad panda* I'll have a review up closer to the release date.

I was really looking forward to this Mary Shelley biography but this was a huge let down.

You can see my September reading bookshelf here on Goodreads.

2018 reading Goals!

2018 Reading Challenge

Karen has read 127 books toward her goal of 150 books.

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127 of 150 (84%)

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My goal was 100 books but I’m up to 127 so I just adjusted it to 150

How was your September reading?

I'll have my October goals up later this week as well as my adventures in audiobooks. Hint....it's not going well lol