The Friday 56 (69) Love Charms and Other Catastrophes by Kimberly Karalius

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Sometimes love comes gift-wrapped…literally...

Aspiring love-charm maker Hijiri Kitamura was excited to come back to Grimbaud for her sophomore year—until she learned about the upcoming charm-making competition. She, along with her friends and fellow rebels, had worked too hard to free the town from Zita’s tyrannical love fortunes to allow some other charm maker to move in and take over. The only solution is for Hijiri to win the contest herself.

Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done, especially when Love itself has decided to meddle in Hijiri’s life. Concerned that its favorite charm maker has given up on finding a love of her own, Love delivers a very special gift—the perfect boyfriend, specially crafted just for her...

"When he tried speaking, his voice caught in his throat and he coughed into his fist. Ken looked down at his hands, staring at his palms as if he could see through them. He tried again. This time, his voice was soft but firm."--Love Charms and Other Catastrophes by Kimberly Karalius

Comments: I was really excited to pick up this book since Love Fortunes and Other Disasters was one of my favorite 2015 reads. I've already read Love Charms and Other Catastrophes, but figured I might was well mention it here, as my Friday 56. What are you reading this week? 

Review: Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

Title: Wintersmith
Author: Terry Pratchett
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: HarperCollins; October 2, 2007 

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

The third in a series of Discworld novels starring the young witch Tiffany Aching...

When the Spirit of Winter takes a fancy to Tiffany Aching, he wants her to stay in his gleaming, frozen world. Forever. It will take all the young witch's skill and cunning, as well as help from the legendary Granny Weatherwax and the irrepressible Wee Free Men, to survive until Spring. Because if Tiffany doesn't make it to Spring—

—Spring won't come...

Wintersmith is the first and only book I have by Terry Pratchett. I also remember reading the first chapter a long time ago then setting the book aside for some reason or another. And honestly, I don’t know why I did that, because Wintersmith was one heck of a fun book. Sure, it began on a more somber note as winter tightened its grasp on an already weather-beaten town. But, from that point on, the story delved into how that opening chapter was relevant to the plot.

Wintersmith is about Tiffany Aching who made an unfortunate mistake one night, by interrupting a story that wasn’t her own—a story that might as well have been as old as time itself. So therein lays the problem. Tiffany’s accidental mistake had unintended and far-reaching consequences that she couldn’t have foreseen.

The POVs in this book alternated between a multitude of characters, but this worked to benefit the story. The different perspectives sort of fleshed-out the world a little more—by showing what was happening in other parts of the setting, from the perspective of other characters. There were moments of genuine humor that had me laughing out loud, and I also liked how Pratchett approached magic. It seemed almost natural for the world of Wintersmith.

Tiffany was an interesting character. Currently away from home, she was spending time with witches while learning magic. I liked how dedicated she was to learning what she could and couldn’t do with her abilities. The Wee Free Men were interesting, and their antics were often entertaining as they strived to help Tiffany. Who else? Oh, yes, the other witches—Miss Treason, Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and a few others. There was plenty going on with them. Miss Treason was certainly one of my favorite characters from Wintersmith, besides Tiffany that is.

So, while I'm unfamiliar with the majority of the series, I had no trouble getting into Wintersmith. It was an easy and highly entertaining read.

Happy 4th of July!

The Friday 56 (68) Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Tiffany Aching is a trainee witch — now working for the seriously scary Miss Treason. But when Tiffany witnesses the Dark Dance — the crossover from summer to winter — she does what no one has ever done before and leaps into the dance. Into the oldest story there ever is. And draws the attention of the Wintersmith himself. As Tiffany-shaped snowflakes hammer down on the land, can Tiffany deal with the consequences of her actions? Even with the help of Granny Weatherwax and the Nac Mac Feegle — the fightin’, thievin’ pictsies who are prepared to lay down their lives for their “big wee hag.”

"You couldn't even say precisely what they did, although Miss Tick thought they were a way of finding out what things the hidden bits of your own mind somehow knew. You had to make a shamble from scratch every time, and only from things in your pockets. "--Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

Comments: This is the only book I have on my shelf by Terry Pratchett, and I look forward to giving it a try. What are you planning to read this weekend? 

Review: Royal Wedding Disaster by Meg Cabot

Title: Royal Wedding Disaster
Author: Meg Cabot
Source/Format: Won, Hardcover
More Details: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Publisher/Publication Date: Feiwel & Friends; May 10, 2016

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Olivia Grace Clarisse Mignonette Harrison still finds it hard to believe that she's a real live PRINCESS OF GENOVIA. Not only does she get to live in an actual palace with her newly discovered family and two fabulous poodles (who all love her and think that she's anything but ordinary!) but she also gets her very own PONY! Of course, things aren't going exactly like she imagined. Her half-sister Mia is very busy learning how to take over the country while trying to plan a wedding and her father is actually getting remarried himself-to Mia's mother!-and spends most of his time "renovating" the summer palace, although Grandmere says he is just hiding from the wedding preparations. Olivia hardly gets to see either of them. Fortunately, Grandmere has her own plans for Mia's wedding, and needs Olivia's help to pull them off. Just when Olivia starts to think that things are going to work out after all, the palace is invaded by a host of new cousins and other royals who all seem to be angry at Olivia (although Grandmere says they are just jealous).

As the day of the wedding gets closer and closer, Olivia becomes more and more worried. For such a carefully planned event, it seems like a LOT of things are going wrong... Can Olivia keep this royal wedding from becoming a royal disaster?

I really enjoyed From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess by Meg Cabot, and after the ending of that one I couldn’t wait to pick up Royal Wedding Disaster. Mostly, I wanted to see the continuation of Olivia’s story and how she would adjust to changes that happened in the last book. Royal Wedding Disaster was far from a disappointment, and was definitely a good and entertaining follow-up to From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess.

This book is basically about Olivia adjusting to her new life in Genovia, while learning how to be a princess with Mia’s wedding date looming in the distance—with nothing ready. I liked Royal Wedding Disaster better than the first book in the series. The plot was pretty interesting. There wasn’t much of a mystery aspect, since Royal Wedding Disaster was more about Olivia’s life rather than anything else; however, the book was still a good one. As I mentioned above, it was entertaining.

As for Olivia she has sort of adjusted to her new life, but maintains her personality as she learns how to be a princess. It’s not all peaches and roses, and it isn't free from sudden hurdles—like learning how to dance, adjusting to a new school, and the stresses of helping with the wedding preparation; just to name a few. On the plus side, she also had a family who really cared about her, who didn’t exclude her every chance they got, and were willing to offer much needed advice when necessary. Olivia wasn’t a one-note, cardboard character—she was capable of being happy, sad, and even frustrated at times.

Several new characters were introduced, like Olivia’s cousin, Luisa. Olivia’s friend, Nishi, was also present. She was a good friend to Olivia in From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess, and she was also great in Royal Wedding Disaster. Cabot did a good job depicting their friendship as very ordinary and supportive—so two thumbs up just for that.

Overall, Royal Wedding Disaster was really good, I certainly enjoyed it.