Musing Monday (66) Random Weekly Questions & Currently Reading

Rules: 

• Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker that asks you to muse about something book related each week. 

My musings for the week...

Today, I'm going to talk about the book I literally just started. I'm also going to get caught up on some of the random weekly questions that I missed.

Have you joined any challenges in reading for the new year? Do you have any general goals book or even not book related for 2017?

No, I haven't joined any reading challenges. Generally, I don't participate in those because I read at random (unless I have an ARC or a blog tour that requires a review by a certain date). As for some of my other goals, I pretty much covered that on my 2017 Blogging Resolutions Post. One goal I have, which isn't related to books, is refining my art skills. Improving is always a goal when it comes to art, and that's one of the things I want to work on this year.

What do you think about books being made into movies or TV shows and do you always read the book first?

I think its great as long as the source material is used wisely. If my favorite book or series happens to be adapted, I would definitely give the movie or TV show the benefit of the doubt. I don't always read the book first. Sometimes, I choose not to, and at other times I might have overlooked the fact that it was a book at first (this is especially true if I'm watching a movie/TV show just to see what all the hype is about).

How do you make time for reading when you are very busy? Or how do you find a better balance between wanting to spend time reading and other commitments?

I just kind of read whenever. There's really no trick to it or really much of a specific method of balancing reading with other commitments.

Other Musings...

This week, I’m going to read The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey. I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about this book since it came out back in 2015. Since I’m trying to get through all the older releases that I’ve been meaning to read, I decided to go ahead and give this one a try—plus, the copy at my local library was recently returned. 

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Magic lives in our darkest corners...

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she’s ever known. Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she’s fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it’s time to act. Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, though if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it’s how to hunt down what she wants…and how to take it. But some jobs aren’t as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire...

What are you reading this week?

Music Monday (12) Samsaya & Laura Mvula

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Last Monday, we took a bit of a detour and skipped Music Monday. But, we’re back.

Breana:

I only have one song to talk about this week: Beginning at the End by Samsaya. I first heard about Samsaya back in 2015, and while I haven’t listened to much of her music lately, Beginning at the End is the one song I know and love. The music video for it is kind of simple, but that's what I love about it.

Adri: 

For this Music Monday, I decided that I wanted to show another artist who I not only liked upon first listening, but also find really inspirational: Laura Mvula. The first song I chose is Overcome featuring Nile Rodgers. After listening to Lianne La Havas' Unstoppable for a while, I saw this in the recommendations. I adored the song and the video so much that I often have it on repeat. So now, I'm recommending it to you.

After I was able to pry myself away from the first song, I went to check out some of her other songs. Although, it looked pretty, I had to check out Phenomenal Woman because it has the same name as a Maya Angelou poem. All I can say is I'm glad I did. The song makes me want to jump out of my chair and dance around.

Are there any songs that make you want to dance?

The Friday 56 (90) & Book Beginnings: Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood

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

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Kathryn Littlewood’s culinary caper blends rich emotional flavor with truly magical wit, yielding one heaping portion of hilarious family adventure...

Rosemary Bliss’s family has a secret. It’s the Bliss Cookery Booke—an ancient, leather-bound volume of enchanted recipes like Stone Sleep Snickerdoodles and Singing Gingersnaps. Rose and her siblings are supposed to keep the Cookery Booke under lock and whisk-shaped key while their parents are out of town, but then a mysterious stranger shows up. “Aunt” Lily rides a motorcycle, wears purple sequins, and whips up exotic (but delicious) dishes for dinner. Soon boring, non-magical recipes feel like life before Aunt Lily—a lot less fun. So Rose and her siblings experiment with just a couple of recipes from the forbidden Cookery Booke. A few Love Muffins and a few dozen Cookies of Truth couldn’t cause too much trouble . . . could they?

Beginning:" It was the summer Rosemary Bliss turned ten that she saw her mother fold a lightning bolt into a bowl of batter and learned--beyond the shadow of a doubt--that her parents made magic in the Bliss bakery."

56:"On her mother's side: no one."

Comments: I really love the beginning of this book. It introduces the type of magic that's found in the story as well as the character, Rosemary. Overall, it was a pretty good book.

What are you reading this week?

Review: The Twistrose key by Tone Almhjell

Title: The Twistrose Key
Author: Tone Almhjell
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Middle Grade; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Puffin Books; September 2, 2014

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Something is wrong in the house Lin's family rented. The clocks tick too slowly. Frost covers the flowerbed, even in a rain storm. And when a secret key marked "Twistrose" arrives for her, Lin finds in a crack in the cellar and unlocks a gate to the world of Sylveros. This frozen realm is the home of every dead animal who ever loved a child. Lin is overjoyed to be reunited with Rufus, the pet she buried under the rosebush. But together they must find the missing Winter Prince in order to save Sylver from destruction…and they’re not the only ones hunting for the Prince...

I happened to find a copy of The Twistrose Key by Tone Almhjell by complete accident. I was just out for the day and happened to see it in the store. I wasn't looking for it, and didn't know anything about it or the author. However, once I read the synopsis my immediate reaction was "Yeah, this seems like something I want to read". I do have to admit that the synopsis can sound a bit morbid, but The Twistrose Key was a whimsical tale full of adventure, danger, and friendship.

The Twistrose Key was a fantastic story. There was a lesson, but it was conveyed subtly through prose, dialogue, and all the things Lin experienced. The primary focus of the story was on the task given to Lin and her reunion with Rufus in the world of Sylveros. The majority of this book took place in Sylveros, and it was by far one the best settings I’ve read about. I mean, it was a snow covered land literally populated by beloved pets that were deceased. The rules of Sylveros were pretty straight forward, and I liked how consistent the details were kept.

The characters were wonderful, Lin especially. By far, she wasn’t perfect. She made mistakes, got upset and frustrated. But it was nice to see such a range of emotions. I also liked the friendship between Lin and Rufus.

The story didn’t have that fast of a pace. Instead, it was a combination of slow and quick moving scenes. I honestly didn’t mind all of the details. I liked the early development that went on. The initial chapters introduced a lot of the characters, the magic, and other details that would later become the adventure aspect of the book. The Twistrose Key was simply a good story.

There appears to be another book in this series, and the synopsis also seems pretty interesting for that one too. So, I would definitely be interested in reading another book by Tone Almhjell.

Highly Anticipated Book Releases (2017)

Today, I’m going to be sharing some of the 2017 book releases that I’m really looking forward to. This isn’t going to be the most comprehensive list, because it is the beginning of the year, so realistically I don’t know about every book that’s coming out. However, I will keep an eye out for anything that happens to catch my interest. For now, here is my current list…

• A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed The Star-Touched Queen. It was one of my favorite 2016 reads. So, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

This is another book I’m really excited about. I’ve been looking forward to this one since I first heard about it last year.

• When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

I read the synopsis for this one and liked how it sounded. So, I’m looking forward to it.

• Blueberry Pancakes Forever by Angelica Banks

I absolutely adored the first two books in the series—Finding Serendipity and A Week Without Tuesday. Suffice it to say, I’m definitely looking forward to this one.

What 2017 releases are you looking forward to?