Tag: Readers

I am Scary by Elise Gravel- ARC Review

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In this sweet little book, a monster tries to scare a young child. But the child insists the monster is not scary but actually quite huggable. (taken from Amazon)

                                  Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. It will be available on March 17, 202

This book is so adorable! I requested it because I had a feeling my toddler would enjoy it. I read it aloud and he loved it.

The illustrations are charming in their simplicity. Told with very little dialogue, this book is about a monster who tries- and fails- to scare a child. He roars, growls, and shows off his horns and teeth. To the monster’s discomfiture, the child thinks he’s cute. What’s a monster to do?

What I liked best about this book was the ability to prompt my toddler to talk about the pictures and make conclusions based on what was happening. Because there isn’t much dialogue, my “little” made the monster sounds, talked about how cute the monster was, and had a lovely time. The book would probably be even more riveting to a slightly younger child, but my toddler still really liked it.

This would make a great baby shower gift. I recommend it for all little book lovers- in-training.

The Fantastic Phantasmic Detective Agency and the Case of the Missing Ghost by D.L. Dugger- ARC Review

The Fantastic Phantasmic Detective Agency: And the case of the missing ghost by [Dugger, D.L.]
When a ghost disappears from a local house he was haunting, his sister in the OtherWorld spirit realm hires the Fantastic Phantasmic Detective Agency to find him. Eager to locate the missing ghost, the youthful sleuths, Abby, Toby and Billy, and their grumpy Medium Arthur Monsento jump right into the investigation. (taken from Amazon)

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This will be available to purchase on November 11th.

What first drew me to this book was the old-school kids’ detective agency idea. I loved that sort of story when I was young, and this seemed a fresh take on an old favorite. There was a Scooby-Doo vibe, except that the ghosties happen to be actual ghosts.

This is the third installment in the Fantastic Phantasmic Detective Agency series, but it was easy to understand what was happening, thanks to explanations given throughout the book. The explanations didn’t necessarily fit into the storyline nicely; rather, they just sort of popped up. However, it was good to have them. I don’t think they are long enough to bore repeat readers, which is also a plus.

The premise of this particular mystery is the search for a missing ghost. He’s no longer haunting the house he normally appears at, and his recently deceased sister is concerned about him. I laughed pretty hard at that idea.

The detective agency consists of three kids (Abby, Billy, and Toby), and a cranky old medium. They follow clues of an unusual kind to attempt to find the missing ghost. I don’t want to give too many details away, since half the fun of a mystery is following the twists and turns.

This book is a lot of fun. It’s a new take on the usual trope and I quite enjoyed it. If you’re looking for a quick, entertaining read, this is a good one to check out. I’ll know I’ll be going back and reading the first two in this series.

Master of Sorrows by Justin T. Call- ARC Review

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You have heard the story before – of a young boy, orphaned through tragic circumstances, raised by a wise old man, who comes to a fuller knowledge of his magic and uses it to fight the great evil that threatens his world.

But what if the boy hero and the malevolent, threatening taint were one and the same?

What if the boy slowly came to realize he was the reincarnation of an evil god? Would he save the world . . . or destroy it?

Among the Academy’s warrior-thieves, Annev de Breth is an outlier. Unlike his classmates who were stolen as infants from the capital city, Annev was born in the small village of Chaenbalu, was believed to be executed, and then unknowingly raised by his parents’ killers.

Seventeen years later, Annev struggles with the burdens of a forbidden magic, a forgotten heritage, and a secret deformity. When he is subsequently caught between the warring ideologies of his priestly mentor and the Academy’s masters, he must choose between forfeiting his promising future at the Academy or betraying his closest friends. Each decision leads to a deeper dilemma, until Annev finds himself pressed into a quest he does not wish to fulfil.

Will he finally embrace the doctrine of his tutors, murder a stranger, and abandon his mentor? Or will he accept the more difficult truth of who he is . . . and the darker truth of what he may become . . . (taken from Amazon)

                        Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book will be available in stores on February 25th, 2020.

I can sum up this book in one word: incredible. I am in awe of Justin T. Call’s writing. I opened the book and was immediately drawn into the story. I got major Name of the Wind vibes, which is high praise indeed.

Where should I start? Well, first off, the storytelling is masterful. There wasn’t a single misstep through the whole book. This book follows Annev as he learns who he is, both in a magical sense, and a moral one. Much like Name of the Wind, the book takes its time setting the tone for all that follows. And what follows is fantasy at its finest.

The solid foundation is what took this book a step above many other fantasies I’ve read. Each little tidbit mentioned fits like a puzzle piece, making a full picture. The trials at the beginning of the book were so interesting to read. I loved seeing Annev make decisions regarding his treatment of others. Would he betray them to get ahead? I’ll leave it to you, Reader, to find out.

I loved Sodar. He tried so hard to raise and protect Annev. He made mistakes and chose to be reticent when openness might have served him better, but that’s part of what made him so fascinating. He’s such a realistic character. Although, really, all the characters were utterly believable.

The world building was excellent, the characters fantastic, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes as it continues in the sequel. Basically-wow.

Grab this book the second you’re able to.

Why I Reread Books

I’ll admit it: I reread books. A lot. Chances are, if I really like a book, I’ll read it more than once. If I love it, I’ll read it more than twice. There are a couple reasons for this. The first is simple: I have a horrible memory. Because I have epilepsy, both my medications and seizures I’ve had have caused me to have lapses in memory. Add in depression and bipolar, as well as being the mom of a toddler, and my memory doesn’t stand a chance.

The main reason that I reread, though, is because a good book is like a friend. Over time, friendships change. I grow. Maybe a book won’t stand the test of time. There are others, though, that still stick with me. They’ve become more than just words on a page. They’re memories and comfort.

Often, when I reread, I pick up on things that I didn’t notice or appreciate the first time through. When I read a book the first time, I pay attention to the story as a whole. Tiny nuances, or subtle foreshadowing might escape me. However, reading through again, I’ll pick up on those things. It brings a new level of appreciation, both for the book and the author.

Sometimes after finishing a book that was harsh, or where I felt the narrative got away from the author a bit, I’ll reread an old favorite. I like the comfort of knowing that I’m “safe” in the author’s ability to weave the tale. I can relax, already knowing that I like the ending.

I tend to reread more in the fall and early winter. I’m not sure why that is. It could be that the warm fuzzies from the different family celebrations carry over to my reading preferences. This is the time of year when I most find myself reaching for old favorites. Books like The Hobbit, Harry Potter (of course), the Dragonlance Chronicles, and the Amelia Peabody books are greeted like the old friends they are.

I talk a lot on my blog about the magic of books, how a good book transcends the written words, and takes on a life all its own. I guess that’s the real reason I reread so much: why experience the magic of an amazing book only once?

What about you? Do you reread books? What are some of your favorites to pull out?

The Death of Mungo Blackwell by Lauren H. Brandenburg- ARC Review

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‘We all need to know what’s missing in our lives. At a funeral someone stands and describes everything a person has accomplished in their life. But what if they missed something? What if there was one thing they never got to do? And what if they had a chance to go back and do it?’ The Blackwells are a family with an extraordinary history and astounding traditions, which include attending their own funerals before they die! Their ways are questionable and their stories about deceased relatives are as bold as their red hair, but it is their eclectic wares that keep tourists coming back to their market in the town of Coraloo. Charlie Price, whose world has come crumbling down after a lapse in judgement leaves him unemployed, finds himself flung into the chaotic world of the Blackwells when he relocates to Coraloo with his socialite wife, Velveteen, and shy son, Gideon. Here Charlie attempts to make a living as a ‘picker’, reselling under-priced items he picks up at the market. Some of the Blackwells welcome him with open arms, but others resent pickers and want him thrown out of the market. Charlie soon finds this new way of life under threat and his quest for simplicity seems to be crumbling. Perhaps it’s time for Charlie to have a funeral of his own! This charming story of hope will warm your heart and make your imagination soar. (taken from Netgalley)

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book is available for purchase now.

Peculiar, but highly entertaining, this is one that I’d file under “cozy books”.” After an incident involving a food truck leaves Charlie Price jobless, he moves to small Coraloo with his wife and son. They find themselves thrown in the middle of a feud between two old families: the Tofts and the Blackwells.

What originally drew me to the book was the part of the description that mentions the Blackwells attending their own funerals before they die. It sounded like a fun, quirky read. However, the funeral isn’t actually the focal point, or the thing that stuck with me. This book is full of small-town eccentricities and charm to spare. It’s not a trite book, though; it found a sweet, quiet way of talking about stress, adjusting to new and scary circumstances, and “blooming where you’re planted.”

Equally funny and touching, this book managed to warm my cold little heart. I highly recommend it.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight Read-along hosted by Offthetbr

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As pretty much everyone knows by this point, I love the Dragonlance Chronicles. I reread them about once a year, but this year is going to be epic because I’ll be taking part in a Dragons of Autumn Twilight November read-along! It’s being hosted by Jason at Offthetbr, which is an awesome blog. If you want to join in, check out his post here to learn how to sign up, etc. I hope you’ll join the fun!

          Lifelong friends, they went their separate ways. Now they are together again, though   each holds secrets from the others in his heart. They speak of a world shadowed with rumors of war. They speak of tales of strange monsters, creatures of myth, creatures of legend. They do not speak of their secrets. Not then. Not until a chance encounter with a beautiful, sorrowful woman, who bears a magical crystal staff, draws the companions deeper into the shadows, forever changing their lives and shaping the fate of the world.

No one expected them to be heroes.

Least of all, them. (taken from Amazon)

Quick Fire Fantasy Book Tag

Irresponsiblereader had this awesome tag on his blog today. You know I never miss a chance to talk about fantasy books, so I’m taking part.

Rules:

  • Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post
  • Link to the creator’s blog (thebookwormdreamer.wordpress.com) in your post
  • Answer the prompts below – all fantasy books!
  • Tag 5 others to take part

Enjoy!

5 Star Read: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

See, here’s the weird thing: I really, really don’t like the sequel to this book. The first book is so amazing, though, that it doesn’t matter. I fell in love with The Name of the Wind from the very beginning, when I read about the silence of three parts. Read it below, and you’ll see why:

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“The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts.

The most obvious part was a hollow, echoing quiet, made by things that were lacking. If there had been a wind, it would have sighed through the trees, set the inn’s sign swinging on its hooks, and brushed the silence down the road like trailing autumn leaves. If there had been a crowd, even a handful of men inside the inn, they would have filled the silence with conversation and laughter, the clatter and clamor one expects from a drinking house during the dark hours of the night. If there had been music…but no, of course there was no music. In fact, there were none of these things, and so the silence remained.

Inside the Waystone a pair of men huddled at one corner of the bar. They drank with quiet determination, avoiding serious discussions of troubling news. In doing these they added a small, sullen silence to the larger, hollow one. it made an alloy of sorts, a counterpoint.

The third silence was not an easy thing to notice. If you listened for an hour, you might begin to feel it in the wooden floor underfoot and in the rough, splintering barrels behind the bar. It was in the weight of the black stone hearth that held the heat of a long-dead fire. It was in the slow back and forth of a white linen cloth rubbing along the grain of the bar. And it was in the hands of the man who stood there, polishing a stretch of mahogany that already gleamed in the lamplight.

The man had true-red hair, red as flame. his eyes was dark and distant, and he moved with the subtle certainty that comes from knowing many things.

The Waystone was His, just as the third silence was his. This was appropriate, as it was the greatest silence of the three, wrapping the other inside itself. It was deep and wide as autumn’s ending. It was heavy as a great river-smooth stone. It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die.”

Always going to recommend: The Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

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Yup, these books keep showing up on my blog. I’m sure I’m annoying the gravy out of everyone who reads my posts, but I’ll unapologetically tout them as often as I can squeeze them in. They’re my favorite fantasy books, after all. If you want to read my loving rant about them, you can find it here.

Own it but haven’t read it yet: The Shadow of What Was Lost by (The Licanius Trilogy #1) by James Islington

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I’m really looking forward to this one. Here’s the Amazon description:

As destiny calls, a journey begins.
It has been twenty years since the godlike Augurs were overthrown and killed. Now, those who once served them — the Gifted — are spared only because they have accepted the rebellion’s Four Tenets, vastly limiting their powers.
As a Gifted, Davian suffers the consequences of a war lost before he was even born. He and others like him are despised. But when Davian discovers he wields the forbidden power of the Augurs, he and his friends Wirr and Asha set into motion a chain of events that will change everything.

To the west, a young man whose fate is intertwined with Davian’s wakes up in the forest, covered in blood and with no memory of who he is…

And in the far north, an ancient enemy long thought defeated begins to stir. (taken from Amazon)

Would read again:  Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook

It’s been quite a while since I’ve read this series. It’s dark, gritty, and absolutely wonderful. I highly recommend it.

In another world: Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman

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This excellent book is about a priest and an evil sorcerer who must work together to defeat an evil that threatens everyone on their world. That’s a bare bones description: there’s much more to this fascinating book that I think that every fantasy lover should read.

Back on earth: Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

This book is kind of odd, but in a fantastic way. Put healers, vampires, shape-shifters, magicians all in one place, and it gets a little frenetic. It’s great!

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So, there you have it. I might tag a few people via Twitter, but if you want to take part, please do so! I love reading more fantasy suggestions.

Middle-Grade Gems: Interview with a Sixth Grader

About six months ago, I interviewed my oldest about books he was loving at the time. He devours books (not literally; that would be cause for concern) and I love hearing his opinions. I figure the time is ripe for round two. So, here are his current favorites:

The Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan

Why he liked it: “It’s a very good adventure and fantasy book with good characters. There’s a ton of books in the series so it doesn’t end super fast. There’s a lot of awesome action and it’s just a really good series.”

The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan

Why he liked it: “It’s awesome that it’s Egyptian: it’s got a good mythology behind it. It’s got some good comedy, but a lot of good action too.”

Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron by Alexander Freed

Why he liked it: “This book is full of great action, great characters, and a great story! My favorite character was Wyl Lark, a determined pilot with a knack for flying.”

Star Wars: Blackspire Outpost by Dlilah S. Dawson

Why he liked it: “This book is full of action, importance, and great, engaging characters that really drew me in. Ten out of ten.”

Loki’s Wolves by K.L. Armstong and M.A. Marr

Why he liked it: The book is about Matt, who is a descendant of Thor; Fen, a descendant of Loki; and Laurie, another descendant of Loki. Together, they must stop Ragnarok! My favorite character is probably Fen. He’s not like the other characters. He’s a bit more wild than the others, but he’s also a good brother, and I like that.”

Fuzzy by Tom Angleberger

Why he liked it: “One of my favorite things about this book was how believable the characters are. I haven’t read any other books like this. It’s really nice to see such a unique book. I really liked it.”

The Night Country (Hazel Wood #2) by Melissa Albert- ARC Review

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                                            ****Spoilers for Hazel Wood below!***

                   In The Night Country, Alice Proserpine dives back into a menacing, mesmerizing world of dark fairy tales and hidden doors. Follow her and Ellery Finch as they learn The Hazel Wood was just the beginning, and that worlds die not with a whimper, but a bang.

With Finch’s help, Alice escaped the Hinterland and her reclusive grandmother’s dark legacy. Now she and the rest of the dregs of the fairy tale world have washed up in New York City, where Alice is trying to make a new, unmagical life. But something is stalking the Hinterland’s survivors―and she suspects their deaths may have a darker purpose. Meanwhile, in the winking out world of the Hinterland, Finch seeks his own adventure, and―if he can find it―a way back home… (taken from Amazon)

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book, in exchange for my honest opinion. This book will be available on January 7th, 2020.

I wanted to love this book, I really did. Unfortunately, I can only muster a like. The thing that originally drew me to The Hazel Wood was the creepy, dark feel of the fairy tales (I’m still dying to know the story of Twice-Dead Katherine). This book didn’t have that feel for me. The sense of something lurking just outside of view wasn’t there. While there are some messed-up story characters, they were much more straight-forward, which lessened their impact for me.

The plot is interesting, continuing with a new threat to the Hinterland, and the ex-stories who have left the Hinterland behind. Alice is one of the few ex-stories who has managed to eke a normal human life for herself, and many others resent her for that. Also, there’s a small matter of some ritualistic-looking deaths, and no-one knows who is responsible, or who will be next.

If you have read my review of The Hazel Wood (which you can find here), you’ll know that my biggest complaint was that the relationship between Alice and Ellery felt a little one-note. Again, in this book, the relationships fell a little flat. I think that’s just a character development issue that will improve as Melissa Albert continues to write, which I hope she does. Even though I didn’t love this book, Melissa Albert is a creative voice and I look forward to seeing what else she comes up with.

 

My One Year Blogging Anniversary

Fair warning: this post might well veer from nostalgic straight into saccharine. I’ll try very hard to avoid that, but brace yourself.

One year. Wow! When I started up my book blog, I honestly didn’t think that it would become such a big part of my life. My husband suggested that I try blogging since I talk about books so often. Also, I’m pretty decent at recommending books to people that they end up enjoying.

With trepidation, I thought I’d give it a try. And, guess what? I love it (I’m sure my husband is about to say “I told you so”). I’m still learning and there was so much that I didn’t know starting out. For example, I had no idea that bloggers were able to read ARCS in the first place. I figured that was a magazine reviewer only thing. I also had never heard of blogging tours, book tags, and had put zero thought into having a reviewer policy. All of these things have been explained to me by an amazing group of bloggers and blog-promoters. Which leads me to my next big surprise: friends.

I was pretty sure that I’d be shouting into the void, so to speak. I still can’t believe that so many people read my blog and comment. I love getting comments! I’ve also suddenly found myself with several awesome new friends. Friends that won’t roll their eyes when I get a little too excited about ye random new release? Priceless! Although, to be fair, you might all be rolling your eyes, but of course I can’t tell. Well, I’m going to keep believing that you aren’t. Ha!

There are so many incredible-sounding books that I’ve added to my insurmountable “to be read” list thanks to bookbloggers. I like to think I’ve added a few new ones to others’ lists. It’s a great feeling, knowing that there’s a whole community of book-lovers that I now get to count myself a part of.

Of course, I still give way too many unasked-for book suggestions to my friends in person, but having the ability to be overexcited online and have people read my ramblings is pretty stinking amazing.

So, happy blogging birthday to me, and THANK YOU to everyone who has encouraged me, answered my asinine questions, and who reads my blog posts. You’re all fantastic!